Eyes on Fire
by bubbalicious91
Summary: One and a half years. That's how long it's been since Edward Cullen had banished himself and his family from Bella Swan's life and from Forks. A lot can change in that amount of time, and it becomes apparent when they come face to face with the past.
1. Prologue

**Eyes on Fire**

**Prologue****:**

I couldn't believe I was here. Standing in the middle of the forest surrounded by vampires from both my past and my present. I had tried to leave the vampires of my past behind by finding solitude in the company of the vampires of my present, and found it impossible when I was confronted with my past again and again. Either through my own thoughts and memories or the few times I had come into contact with them physically, always taunting, reminding me of what _had_ been and what _could have_ been.

And yet, this time I was protecting the people that betrayed me and betraying the people that protected me. Loved me like a daughter, friend and lover.

"Isabella." The voice of my present called endearingly to me. Letting me know that it wasn't to late to turn around and come back, that they still loved me and would continue protecting and caring for me.

But how could I go to him when he was threatening the only link to my past and people I still begrudgingly cared for. He was going to destroy them along with what was left of my heart if I stepped back to his side of the field. How could I destroy myself, when everything I had been taught over the years meant nothing but self-preservation in the end?

They taught me to fight, to protect and escape. I always knew whom it was I was fighting; whom I was protecting and when I was outnumbered knew how to run and who to run too. Only this time I didn't know. I didn't know who I was supposed to fight, whom I was supposed to protect and to whose arms I was supposed to be running too.

"Bella, please." The voice of my past echoed across the snow filled clearing.

Reminding me of the love I once had for him, his brothers and sisters, his mother and father. Reminding me of all that was shared and learned between us when we had first met and I felt plain and ignorant next to him in all his eternal glory. Yet he had bewitched me mind, body and soul and I him, even if it was only for a short time.

The way he said my name, the way he was begging me to go to him, to choose him, had me reeling. Had me thinking over the words that had tortured me day and night when he left me.

Had it all been a lie?

Had he loved me as truly and deeply as he had confessed months ago?

Did his family feel the same sadness and depression that I once felt over the loss of each other's company?

As the voices and instincts inside me warred with themselves, knowing that the fate of myself and half the people in this clearing would depend upon my choice, I could only sob and clutch my head in my hands as a new voice inside of me asked, 'Which is your future? The past that left, or the loving present?'

In that one sentence everything became clear and the voices in my head stopped arguing, my instincts were now pulling me in the one direction. All of them in agreement with whom I should fight, with whom I should protect and to who's arm I would be running to after this was all over.

"I'm sorry."


	2. Chapter 1: Summons

**Chapter one: Summons**

**Esme's POV**

Almost two years has past since my family and I left Forks and my human daughter, Bella, behind. One of my vampiric daughters, Alice, has the ability to see the future, I had thought that would be a small comfort once we left Bella as Alice could check on her future and we'd know everything was okay, that she was doing okay. However once we left Forks, Alice couldn't see her anymore.

She would look for hours just trying to get a glimpse of Bella's future but she never could, not after the one where Edward told Bella good-bye. I begged Carlisle to ring Forks hospital and see if she was okay... if she was still alive. He did and she was fine, the doctor's there gave out little information and only said that they had seen her once but she wasn't terminally ill.

We can't figure out why Alice can't see her, and I'm reluctant to accept Carlisle's answer for it.

"_Alice, you've always been able to see our kind better then humans," He said, during another of Alice's break down's after a failed attempt to get a read on her best friend and sister. "Maybe you could only see Bella so well because our future's were all connected, and now their not. Her life isn't intertwined with ours anymore Alice, I don't think you will be able to see her again until it is connected to us again."_

None of us liked hearing that she was no longer connected with us in some way, so we all pretended that we hadn't heard those painful words and returned to our activities.

Roughly a year later, Alice had a vision.

It was of Bella, but Alice didn't recognize where she was or what was happening. All she saw was Bella laying on a maroon quilt with a man dressed in black watching over her. She tried to push the vision further to see what was happening or to at least be able to recognize the man but he was hidden in shadows and the vision faded out.

Six months later and we were still miserable without her.

My second son, Emmett, is no longer laughing and cracking inappropriate jokes. Instead he plays his video games quietly and stares at the front door, hoping that Bella will come stumbling through it and into his arms again.

Jasper, my third son, wallows in constant despair, not just his own but the despair and depression coming from everyone else. He is almost incapable of changing other people's moods anymore, and leaves the house as often as possible.

Emmett's wife and my first daughter, Rosalie, isn't as impassive about Bella's absence as she used to be. She had always had a hard time knowing that Bella knew the family secret and often made her opinion known. Now she leaves the room when Bella's name is mentioned and cries quietly with Emmett upstairs in their room were none of us could see her.

Out of all my children Alice and Edward had taken it the hardest.

Alice was furious when she saw Bella's reaction to the news that we had left and was sent to the ground, screaming along with Jasper from the force of her emotions and the apparent pain Bella was going through. They stayed like that for a few minutes, leaning into each other, crying until Alice's head snapped up. Edward stepped through the trees and onto the side of the road where we had waited for him with the cars, his hair disheveled and his shoulders shaking from his silent sobs.

Alice begged and screamed at him to reconsider, telling him that it wasn't to late to go back, that Bella was going through worse pain then he was, worse then the pain it would have cause her to be changed. He didn't stop, his steps never faltering as he walked to Carlisle and took his car keys before turning toward his Volvo without a word.

Alice snapped. She launched herself at him, to quickly for any of us to stop her and to quickly for Edward to react. She pinned him to the Volvo's hood and bit him on the back of the neck.

I couldn't believe that my pixie of a daughter had just bitten her brother and ripped a chunk of his flesh off, leaving him with a scar that he would carry around for eternity. We watched Edward struggle to get a good grip on Alice in silence.

I think, somewhere in all our minds we thought Edward deserved the punishment Alice was handing out, so we didn't interfere.

A minute later and Edward threw her off and was driving down the highway as fast as he could. We haven't seen my eldest son since. We had tried tracking him but every time we came close enough for him to hear our thoughts, he'd run. And it would take us months to find him again, so we eventually left him alone.

My family, and my heart are broken, shattered and I fear unfixable. Carlisle and I can do nothing to fix the heartache our children were going through, since we ourselves are too heartbroken and depressed from loosing both the child we had the longest and the one we had the shortest.

And now this had been brought down upon my family.

"We have been summoned to Volteera." Carlisle announced after reading the hand delivered message, we had received minutes ago from a Volturi guard.

"Summoned?" Emmett scoffed from his seat beside an impassive Rosalie.

"What for Carlisle?" I asked ignoring my bear of a son's oddly goofy demeanor.

"A ball." Alice chimed in as made her way down the stairs quickly and folded herself onto the couch.

I frowned at the words. The Volturi have never, to my knowledge thrown a ball and I highly doubted that they had before considering that vampires didn't do well in large numbers. My family and the Denali's are the largest vampire coven in existence other then the Volturi themselves, as most of our kind travel alone or in pairs.

"Yes, a ball in honor of Marcus, for which the whole family has been invited and we cannot refuse without insulting them." Carlisle explained dragging his hand down his pale face as if to make the invitation, if you could call it that, disappear.

"Is there no way out of it Alice? It could be a trap." Jasper sounded anxious as he considered what this invitation could mean from every angle, I could almost see the wheels turning over and over in his strategic soldier's head.

I could tell just by looking at my husband's eyes that he too doubted that this was a trap but I couldn't shake the feeling that this was something more then a simple ball.

"No Jazz," Alice's voice was but a whisper as she searched the future, her eyes blank and starry. "We have to go and it's not a trap." She beamed back at us and met my eyes as she reassured me. "Everything will be fine."

Without another word Alice stood and danced her way back up the stairs, more happy and full of life then I had seen her in a long time. Just before she closed her bedroom door she informed Rosalie and myself that we were going shopping for dresses tomorrow.

Slightly stunned, I turned to Jasper but he seemed just as bewildered as I was and just shrugged at me. I sighed in defeat, both because I was confused about what this trip to Italy would mean and Alice's behavior. I pulled out my phone and dialed the airline to book our tickets.

"When do I have to book the flight for Carlisle?" I asked looking over my shoulder at him.

"We better be in the city late the night before Saint Marcus Day." He replied grimly, kissed my cheek and walked outside, no doubt to call our lost son and demand he come home, so we could face whatever was to come as a family.


	3. Chapter 2: Strange

**Chapter Two: Strange**

**Edward's POV**

I couldn't believe I was in this city, let alone the fact that I was waiting for my family to show up so we could attend a ball, that we didn't have a choice in coming too, because it was the Volturi that were hosting the odious event.

The only time I had planned to be in this city ever again after my last visit with Carlisle, was to ask the brothers to kill me and end my miserable existence. Well it wasn't miserable once…

_NO! Stop it, don't think about that, it's over and there's no going back. _

I shook my own thoughts out of my head and was confronted with a number of new ones. I chuckled darkly as I heard the thoughts of the guards on the outer perimeter walls as I passed under the entry gate.

_Here's another one…._

_What on earth are the brothers thinking having so many darn vampires in the city at once…_

_Hmmm…this one smells different, better show Aro. _

I heard his retreating footsteps as I moved quietly across the smooth stone roads towards the fountain in the Palazzo dei Priori courtyard, where I would meet my family.

A few minutes later I sat on the edge of the fountain and dropped my head into my hands, immediately Bella came into my mind as she often did and I found myself following the train of thought I had stopped myself taking only a few minutes ago.

God! Bella. I missed her so much. She was the only thing in this world that could make me happy and I had just left her, telling her the most horrendous lies to have left my mouth in over a hundred years. I had seen Alice's vision of what I was doing to her but still I didn't go back, I knew Bella would recover and find someone else. Human memories did fade after all, unlike my godforsaken photographic memory.

I thought of Bella often and every time I would reach a point in my memories where the hole, which had been carved in my chest the very minute I turned away from her beautiful, broken face would rip open and leave me numb to the world.

Though the pains had been getting less frequent whenever I thought of her, the pressure and ferociousness of it would increase with every turn.

Even now as I sat in a city full of human drinking vampires, vulnerable and alone I could feel it ripping open slowly as I thought of the reason for my existence.

I thought of the first time I had taken her to the meadow and how her hair blew wildly around her face, sending her delicious scent over to where I stood hidden in the trees. I thought of her smile and her doe-like brown eyes looking into mine, into my very soul with nothing but love and happiness radiating from them.

I couldn't stop my thoughts from progressing as my mind wondered to all the times I held her while she slept, the first time I kissed her, the first time I held her tiny hand in mine for everyone to see that she was mine and I hers.

What I wouldn't give to do all those things again, to go back to Forks on my cowardly belly and beg—

"Block your thoughts, Aro's orders."

My head snapped up as I heard the whispered order, almost immediately the guards thoughts were occupied with Shakespeare, Stephan King, Mozart and Emily Bronte as they successfully tried to block their thoughts from me.

_What in the world was going on?_

"Edward!" I jumped to my feet and whirled around ready to attack should it be needed, only to find my mother, Esme approaching me with the rest of the family following silently behind her. I sighed in relief as she folded me into her motherly arms.

"Don't you ever do that to me again young man." She growled in my ear, her mind playing over the pain and worry I had caused her over the past year and a half. She pulled back and cupped my face in her hands, a small, worried smile playing on her lips, as she looked me over.

"Sorry mum." I mumbled before turning to Carlisle as he clapped me on the back.

_Good to see you son, _His thoughts sung in my head, he had always preferred to have silent conversations with me. Nice to see he was keeping up that tradition. _Though I do wish it were under different circumstances then these. _

I chuckled a little at that. "I'm sorry Carlisle, I wish it were too but I haven't felt up to coming home yet." He nodded his thoughts understanding and reassuring. "Something's not right here Carlisle. One of the guards went to tell Aro that I had entered the city and came back with orders for all of them to block their thoughts. I'm not getting anything except for the renaissance masters and their works, from both the castle and the guards on the walls."

He nodded solemnly as he turned my words over and over in his head before he stepped away and pulled Esme close to his side.

I heard Emmett's thoughts before I saw him but didn't have time to react before I was lifted off my feet and felt his huge arms crushing my rib cage.

"Em…put me down you big oaf." I cried but that only mad him laugh harder.

"Eddie long time no see." He boomed as he gave me a finally squeeze and put me down on my own to feet again. His eyes quickly scanned my body up and down once. _You look like shit bro._

"Gee…thanks for the observation Em." I said dryly. I was aware that my eyes were as black as coal and the deep purple bruises under my eyes wouldn't have helped my appearance. But my clothes weren't tattered and ruined like they had been a few days ago, and I had had a shower the night before in a hotel in Florence on my way through. I hadn't hunted in a couple of months but I was sure someone here would make sure I did so my eyes turned gold before tomorrow night, so I hadn't worried so much.

The sound of Rosalie's hand hitting the back of Emmett's head brought me back to the present and had me sniggering in the same second as Emmett rubbed his head and started whining.

"OWWWW…. shit Rose what was that for?"

"You know exactly what that was for Emmett." Rose snapped back, her thoughts revealing that she knew exactly what Emmett thought and that she was of the same opinion but tried to keep it to herself.

She turned her attention to me then and wrapped her arms around me whispering a quick hello before she continued in silence. _I'll never admit it out loud and if you say anything I'll deny it but…I missed you Edward. The family isn't the same without you. _To my surprise she tried to hide the 'and Bella.' Part of her speech out but it just slipped through. Hardly believing she thought it herself Rose quickly released me and dragged Emmett away. Ignoring his insistent whining all the while.

Realizing that I only had 2 people left to greet before we headed inside I quickly became nervous.

The last time I had seen Alice she was screaming and begging and when I hadn't had a reaction or changed my decision to leave she had pinned me, face down to the hood of my Volvo and bitten me. Just the thought of that night made both the hole and the bite rip open and tingle.

My relationship with Jasper hadn't been on the best terms the last time I saw him either. After I had left Bella's the night of her birthday I had gone home and attacked him, blaming him for ruining everything, putting her at risk from everyone, causing her physical pain. I had even gone as far as to blame him for the reason I decided we should leave.

He had taken the blame and the attack I had forced on him in his stride and didn't deny anything, truly believing that he was the reason for my world and the happiness of our family falling apart.

It wasn't of course, I knew that now and the guilt I felt for putting him through that consumed me as I met his butterscotch eyes.

_It's all right Edward. I know what you're feeling guilty about but us leaving was as much my fault as it was yours. Stop blaming yourself for causing my own guilt; it would have been there anyway, even if you hadn't pointed everything out. _He smiled grimly at me and sent me a wave of calm and love, effectively relaxing me.

Grateful I smiled back at him, but he turned slightly to look at his wife. Reluctantly I followed his gaze, absentmindedly I started to rub my neck; I was shocked when my eyes finally fell on my favorite sister, she was smiling at me.

I tried to read her thoughts, to try and understand why she would be happy to see me after everything I had done but her thoughts were locked behind a steel door. I poked and prodded at the barrier she set up but I couldn't get through. I frowned and she jumped into me arms, wrapping her own around my neck, and fingering the crescent shaped scar that she had left me.

"I'm sorry about your neck, but I did it with good reason." She pulled away, leaving me slightly stunned and frustrated. "But everything will be fine. This trip is going to change everything, you'll see." I poked again at her thoughts but nothing came through. "Questions later Edward, Aro is waiting for us."

Indeed Aro was waiting for us. Once we entered the foyer the witch twins, Jane and Alec, where waiting for us. They greeted Carlisle warmly, well as warmly as Jane can get, and informed us that they were to bring us straight to the brothers.

We all followed them silently into the elevator and down a number of corridors. I became more nervous as the minutes past because I still couldn't pick up on any of the Volturi's thoughts, a few nomads and Zafrina, of the Amazon coven but that was as far as I could get, the rest of the building was either out of range or being carefully guarded. Jasper too started to become more nervous the closer we got to the brothers and the centre of the castle despite Alice's reassuring hand squeezes and smiles.

_Something feels weird Edward, _Jasper thought looking at me from the corner of his eye. I nodded in recognition, so he continued with his analysis. _The emotions coming from Jane and Alec are quiet disturbing, though I'm guessing by their reputation that's quite normal for them. _I smiled, he was of course correct. Jane and Alec were known as the witch twins for a reason and their combined powers and satanic attitudes made them quiet formidable. _The emotions emanating from the room ahead are what's worrying me the most. Eagerness, annoyance, boredom, anticipation, anger are only a few of the combination. The list is endless, I can't pin point anything. _

I nodded again. I knew exactly what he meant as I read everything through his eyes but I had far better idea about which emotions were coming from which vampire in the room ahead. But as to why they were feeling such an awry I had no idea because they to were blocking me.

An image of Bella flew into my minds eye, it wasn't unusual for this to happen but this was Bella like I had never seen her before. I quickly looked around at my family, my eyes zeroing in on Alice but she was still blocking me and my families thoughts weren't anywhere near Bella at the moment. I tried to force myself into Jane and Alec's head but they were reciting the exact same song, holding hands as they glided down the hall toward the huge oak doors to which Jasper was still feeling a lot of chaotic of emotions flying from.

I reached for the minds behind the doors but they were still blocking me. I could have sworn that flash of Bella; pale and furious had come from one of the ancients. I concentrated on the brother who was least likely to fully block me but Marcus was sealed as tightly as Caius and Aro. I frowned as Jane and Alec suddenly dropped their hand and pushed both giant doors open.

As soon as the doors were open enough for Aro to see Carlisle and Esme, who stood at the forefront of our group, he jumped to his feet and beamed at us, excitement building within him.

"Carlisle, my old friend! It's good to see you again after all these years." He exclaimed as he stepped forward to shake Carlisle's hand. Of course Carlisle knew what would happen when they touched, he was reluctant to do so but he had no choice.

Once their hands met Aro closed his eyes and bowed his head in concentration whilst he sorted through the awry of memories.

My family and I waited patiently, silently watching Aro's facial features for minute changes. They never did, his faced stayed in a complete mask of concentration.

Caius caught my eyes, I turned my attention to him and nodded in acknowledgement but I frowned when he smiled coyly at me. I couldn't know for sure since Caius was still keeping his thoughts a secret but he seemed amused and Jasper quickly backed up my assessment a moment later, informing me that there was also a lot of anticipation building in the ancient.

I glanced at Marcus; I didn't expect much of a response from him though since he had been almost completely unresponsive since the death of his mate centuries before. A death I knew to be the work of his most trusted brother. So it surprised me to see that his eyes were alight and aware of everything as he made eye contact with me, instantly it felt like I was being studied from head to toe. I also knew that he was reading my bonds with everyone in the room though his mind was as closed as Alice's.

I shifted uncomfortably under the intense gazes of Caius and Marcus. Apparently I wasn't the only one to notice.

_Dude what's up with them? _Emmett's thoughts boomed over the wonderings of everyone else. _Caius looks like he's about to break out into a fit of giggles. And the other one, Marcus? Is looking like he'd like nothing better then to burn you himself._

I turned my head enough to make it look like I was observing Aro and Carlisle and raised an eyebrow, telling Emmett that I had no idea what was going on.

_Their still blockin' you aren't they?_

I pursed my lips to indicate that they were. He understood and casually threw his arm around Rosalie's shoulders and bringing her close.

"Interesting." Aro breathed, releasing Carlisle's hand and straightening up. "Very interesting." 

Aro frowned as he looked over each and every one of us carefully, taking in out obvious strengths and weaknesses. His eyes lingered a second longer on me and he slipped.

_...Never really understood the extent to which sh-_

The thought abruptly cut off as he caught himself, his eyes flashing back to mine, his mind becoming a fortress once again.

It wasn't a whole sentence, not even a part of a sentence that really made any sense but it was enough for my interest, curiosity and wariness peak.

"If I may be so bold Aro?" I asked ignoring the warning thoughts Carlisle was sending me. Aro looked at me curiously and nodded. "What is it that you never understood the extent of? And what has that got to do with Carlisle's thoughts?"

My family was now screaming at me to shut up and Jasper was trying his hardest to keep everyone calm, quite a feat since he had barely been able to change the moods of anyone from the somber and depressing one my family had been experiencing in my absence.

"Nothing dear Edward," Aro smiled kindly at me but he couldn't hide the worry in his eyes. "Just a few pieces of the puzzle that are finally coming together." Silently he reached for Esme's hand and kissed her cheek as he took stock of her memories. He only took a fraction of the time he had with Carlisle and I wondered if he was looking at a certain time frame.

When his eyes opened and he stepped away from Esme he smiled, this time at me. "Yet it appears that there are still pieces I am missing." He held out his hand between us, inviting me rather then demanding. I didn't take it.

What would Aro be so interested in that he would need my thoughts in additional to Carlisle and Esme's? They'd know what was going on in the family lately. No one has told me or thought about anything that they had been doing in the past months that would interest Aro. I hadn't talked to my family since the night I left Bella. Alice—

_SHIT!_

We broke the rules. We told a human what we were and didn't dispose or change her after she became aware of the fact. We broke one of the most important rules the Volturi enforce and Aro wants to know the whole story. But that still doesn't answer the puzzle that he was talking about and the extent of which he didn't understand something.

I frowned, my thoughts confusing me more then they were helping me.

"I have already seen the human girl and your relationship with her," I grimaced as he spat the words at me, venom laced within every syllable as the last traces of red in his eyes left, leaving his eyes completely black and smoldering. "There is no point in trying to hide it now."

Rosalie hissed out loud as she began raving at me in her head.

_Great! Bella's going to get me killed, get Emmett killed. God dammit! She's going to get us all killed Edward, and this is all your fault. I told you to kill her from the very start and now were going to be the ones dead, while she's still walking around. What did you ever see in that human anyway?_

Now it was my turn to hiss at her. How dare she insult Bella like that? _So much for Rosalie's previous fondness for her. _I thought bitterly.

On the other hand though, she was right. I did bring this down on my family, so much so that I might as well have lit the match myself.

"Edward." I turned back to look at Carlisle but he was looking at Aro, who was still holding his hand out to me. I took Carlisle's warning and gave Aro my hand; he latched on quickly but still kept his thoughts blocked as he went through mine. When Aro was finished he let go without a word and turned to Jasper.

Over the next hour Aro found someway to touch each of us as we exchanged small talk, his brothers watching silently the whole time.

Aro adored Alice; I didn't need the ability to read his mind to see that he wanted her as apart of the guard, it was written in his face and eyes every time she spoke.

He said that Rosalie and Jasper had very interesting minds, both logical and strategic whilst being passionate and understanding at the same time.

He called Esme enchanting and told Carlisle that he was lucky to have a mate such as her.

Aro was very interested in Emmett's strength and expressed an interest in testing it to which Emmett was more then enthusiastic to volunteer for.

Not once over that hour did he or his brothers mention anything about punishment for letting Bella in on our secret. Toward the end of the hour Carlisle and I started to get more panicked about it. Anxious to know whether they planned to do anything or not, Carlisle suggested that maybe they were being lenient on us because they were old friends but if that were so they would be sending a guard out to kill Bella, and I wasn't going to let that happen. Our silent conversation was interrupted however when Demetri slipped through the doors.

"Excuse me masters, but we have a situation up stairs involving the Denali coven."

"Tanya's family?" Carlisle asked both of us rather surprised that the Denali's were here. They had done a good job of staying out of the Volturi's way in the years past since there mother, Sasha, had been killed for creating and harboring a immortal child.

Aro took a moment to read Demetri's thoughts before answering.

"Yes, it seems that Tanya has engaged a member of the Elite guard who happens to be just shy of six months old. Felix and Demetri are hesitant to interfere physically and she wont listen to their words." Aro smiled affectionately and turned to his brother, who had been unresponsive at best for the past half hour. "Marcus? Would you see to it that no harm comes to her, or indeed she does no harm to Tanya; she's in quiet a rage."

"Of course; come Demetri." Marcus said, once again looking alert and animated as he glided down from his chair and toward the doors, Demetri quickly falling in step behind him.

I took a deep breath trying to calm my nerves without Jasper's help and pushed the useless and worried thoughts of my family away.

Something strange tickled my nose as I breathed deep, I couldn't identify it because it was so weak but it seemed familiar. Marcus was less then a foot away from me now and seemed to be the source of the smell. As he came closer I took another deep but discreet breathe in an effort to identify it.

All at once the smelled seemed to be overpowering and extremely familiar. Freesia, strawberries, honey, vanilla…home.

I hissed at the realization and spun to face Marcus who had stopped like everyone else and was looking at me curiously. Demetri quickly stepped in front of his master whilst Alec and Jane closed in on the left and right.

"Edward don't be ridicules," Rosalie hissed and pulled me back a step. "I know what your thinking but it's not her scent. It's too sweet to be, it's a vampires scent. Now calm down you idiot."

I glared at her, but took the advice and welcomed the calm Jasper was spreading over us.

"Who are you talking about Rose?"

"No one Esme." I answered for Rosalie, there was no need to tell Esme, even the smallest mention of Bella would be too painful for her. I would however tell Carlisle later when we hunted. "I made a mistake."

I looked back at Marcus but he didn't seem phased by my outburst and had even managed to keep his thoughts closed the entire time.

"Are you quiet done now boy?" He asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow at me. He didn't see a need in waiting for me to answer as he turned on his heel and glided toward the door, Demetri fell in step with him again.

"Jazz." I heard Alice hiss and turned just in time to catch her throwing a pointed look toward Marcus's retreating figure. He followed her gaze and started to recite the confederate generals to keep me out of his head.

"Excuse me Marcus, may I go with you?" I tried to break through Jasper and Alice's mind blocks but couldn't get through; this whole situation was starting to get on my nerves. "I have extensive experience with newborns and know Tanya personally. I'm confident I can calm her down one way or another."

Marcus only pondered Jasper's offer for a moment before he nodded and ran out the open door, Demetri and Jasper following immediately after him.

I heard little of the rest of the conversation as I mulled over everything in my mind and tried to keep track of Jasper's thoughts, but he slowly became fainter and fainter. I tried to find Tanya or anyone from the Denali coven but to no avail. _They must be out of range._

The next thing I knew we were being shown to our family's guest quarters in the south wing by the witch twins. I tried again to find Tanya or Jasper as we moved around the different floors but came up with nothing.

In fact the only other minds in the vicinity were Volturi guards, the guests were located in a completely different wing.

"Carlisle something is going."


	4. Chapter 3: Trouble

**Penname: **bubbalicious_91

**Story Title: **Eyes on Fire

**Complete Story Summary:**

One and a half years. That's how long it's been since Edward Cullen had banished himself and his family from Bella Swan's life, from Forks, from the one place they truly felt at home.

A lot can change in that small amount of time, and it becomes painfully apparent to the Cullen's when they come face to face with the girl they left behind, only she's not the same girl anymore.

In an effort to protect herself from the pain of her past, she has become more confident, self assured and fierce. She's a fighter now and their fate, along with many others now rests in her hands.

Will she save them or punish them for past grievances?

**Rating**: NC17

**Chapter: **3 Trouble-Bella's POV

**Chapter Summary: **This chapter is a lot of things and explains so much. It's kind of filler, but also answers many of the questions everyone has been asking. Bella reflects on how she got to be in Volteera, how her change occurred, what she thinks of the Cullen's, of Edward. We also see the confrontation that started in the last chapter between Tanya and the newest Elite guard, which proves to be Bella.

**Chapter Three: Trouble**

**Bella's POV**

"THEY'RE STAYING HERE!" I screamed at Aro from where I stood beside his younger brother, Marcus.

This day was just getting better by the hour. Not.

First, I had to put up with Jane and her little jealousy act when I kicked her ass in training, yet again. Had to greet a few nomads and a stuck up coven from somewhere in the Middle East that found me being their greeting party a great insult. Of course the sight of me fascinated them, since it had been a few decades since a newborn had been among the Italian coven, but they were expecting an Elite guard to greet them, not a 'savage' newborn. Needless to say that the highlight of the day so far was watching their faces when Demetri and Renata came to inform them that they were, in fact, being greeted by the most powerful Elite guard the Volturi had.

Then, after all that, I had to keep Felix away from the donated blood that was being delivered for the party, and now I was told that in addition to all the other vampires staying within the castle walls, my old family would also be staying here, even though it had been said a mere week ago that they would be staying outside the walls for their hunting purposes. Guess I shouldn't have been too surprised, the Denalis had been given rooms in the castle, and they were also 'vegetarian'. That, and the fact that Aro liked knowing everything and anything that went on in his home.

"Yes, Isabella, they will be. They are old friends and I will not have them stay elsewhere in the city whilst the other guests stay here, and we have rooms to spare," Aro explained coolly as he caressed my cheek. "I know some of your past and I can understand your anxiety about the Cullens coming here and staying in close quarters, but it will be okay. They will stay in the south wing, away from your rooms in the north, and away from the other guests that have already seen you. I promise that they will not stray into any place you may be, and you will only have to acknowledge them in a friendly manner tomorrow night, which was your idea, by the way, sweetheart."

He had a point, of course. This was my idea, but I had always held firm and insisted that the Cullen's stay elsewhere. I huffed in defeat and let Marcus pull me onto his lap.

It has been one year, five months and twenty-eight days since Edward and his family left me in Forks.

One year, two months and twenty days have passed since Felix, Alec and Heidi found me, catatonic and anorexic in my bed, after following various scents of werewolf and vampire to my house.

It was 2 days later that I was introduced to the ancients Aro, Marcus and Caius, rulers of the Volturi and vampire royalty. During that first meeting I stayed silent and as still as I could for a majority of the time as they tried to get answers from me.

Once it was discovered that none of the Volturi's talents worked on me, and I started talking, they gave me a room. Feeding, washing, clothing and caring for me in any way they could.

After a few months and only a handful of spoken words, I started to respond more and move on my own without being prompted to do so. Indeed I had even started to eat and drink of my own choice.

After a couple of months, I was told that once I was healthy both physically and mentally, or as mentally healthy as I could be, they would change me.

Weeks passed, then months - my condition improved, but still they didn't think it was the right time for me.

I knew the pain that would come with being bitten and I knew the risks of losing my memory and, to be honest, that was the most appealing part of the whole change for me.

I wanted to forget.

I wanted to forget my messed up childhood of being shared between my mother and Charlie.

I wanted to forget Alice.

I wanted to forget Edward.

In truth, I wished to forget all the Cullen's and begin anew. Be the person I knew I could be and to be released from all my unwanted baggage.

5 months and 25 days ago, I took things into my own hands.

_I picked up the chair from my desk and hurled it toward the glass doors that lead out to the terrace. Once the glass was broken I quickly scoured the fragments for the biggest and sharpest piece and then waited a scarce moment to see if anyone had heard the breaking glass. After a few hushed seconds of waiting for someone to burst through the door and ruin my plan, I made my way to the middle of my bed and pulled off my singlet, tossing it to the floor before I sat on my knees and put the glass point to my stomach. _

"_MARCUS!" I screamed at the top my lungs, knowing that he or another vampire would hear its echo and come to check on me. _

_I barely paused for another moment before I took a deep breath and plunged the shard into my torso at the same time. _

_I screamed wordlessly at the sensation of the glass cutting and slicing my insides, felt the hot red liquid pouring out of the wound and running down my hand till it dripped onto the bedding. I forced myself not to look down, knowing that if I did I would faint the moment I laid eyes on the open wound. As it was, I was barely hanging onto consciousness from the mere smell of the rust and salt that was my own blood. _

_Just as I managed to pull the glass shard out of me and collapsed onto the maroon quilt that covered my bed, Marcus, Felix, and Demetri burst into the room, splintering the oak of the double doors as they did. _

_I had done what I needed to do in order to get Marcus to bite me, and I didn't regret it. This was my choice, my life, and somehow I knew that this was my destiny. I was born to be turned. I was born to live forever. _

_I knew that my wounds were too severe and I had lost too much blood for them to call a doctor or get me to a hospital. Chances were that if the Brothers decided on that course that I would be dead by the time help arrived. They wouldn't take that chance with me, I knew that even before Marcus settled himself behind me and pulled me to his chest gently. I knew it before Demetri ran back out of the room to fetch Caius and Aro. Felix obviously knew as well since he tried to staunch the bleeding as much as possible instead of calling for extra help. _

_Faintly, I heard Felix ask why I would do such a stupid thing, but I couldn't answer right away, I was far too weak and dizzy. So instead, I simply smiled lazily at him and turned my head to the side, exposing my jugular to Marcus. _

_I felt light pressure on my neck as Marcus brushed away the hair that lay there with his cool fingers, clearing the area for the bite I was about to receive._

"_I couldn't wait any longer." Was the last thing I said before I felt Marcus's razor sharp teeth sink into my skin without any resistance, like my skin was made of soggy paper and ripped at the slightest amount of pressure. _

_The last thing I saw was Aro and Caius rush through the door and at my bedside a second later, as Marcus continued to pump his venom into my blood stream._

_Then the pain started, just like it had with James. It spread like liquid spider webs from the bite and seeped into every vein and molecule of my body, setting every piece of tissue and sinewy muscle on fire. I didn't scream though, I kept it to myself, knowing that it wouldn't help with the pain and would only cause more suffering for those around me. _

_As my eyes closed and blackness began to take over, I felt Aro take my hand and kiss it. _

_The last thing I heard was Aro crying my name._

I had a reasonably normal but silent change. I writhed in pain and cried bucket loads of tears and it took all of three days just like any other human being turned. But unlike those before me I didn't scream or make a single noise other then panted breaths, and my physical transformation from mortal to immortal started within 24 hours. My body temperature cooled drastically, my skin started to pale. My hair became silkier, straighter, and my natural highlights became more prominent whilst my nails grew longer and sharper.

The last things that changed from my physical appearance were the hardness of my skin and teeth, that was normal, what wasn't normal was that I finished the physical change on the second day. By all rights I should have woken up that same day, but the Brothers say that my mind was working through everything. Erasing what needed to be erased, coping with things my slow human brain had not been capable of coping with and recommitting the few memories my subconscious deemed necessary.

Unfortunately for me, my subconscious and conscious wanted two different things. I had gotten some of my wish through the change, but not all of it. I had forgotten my childhood, my family and my friends. I had forgotten everything but my time here in Italy, and the Cullen's.

I retained every memory; every moment I had witnessed and experienced with in the Cullen's presence. My first day at Forks High, the first day I talked to Edward, when he took me to his house to meet his family. Every single kiss, touch, word, thought and feeling I ever had with one of them stayed, and would stay with me for eternity.

Once I awoke and realized that that was all I remembered when I wanted to remember nothing at all, it sent me into a newborn rage. Doors, walls and furniture all turned to rubble as I crashed through the room. As a newborn I was too strong for the other vampires to stop me, and it was apparent to everyone but me that I had an extraordinary amount of strength. The ancients and guards watched me at a distance as I rampaged through my room and finally when nothing was left for me to destroy except for the very people that took me in, cared for me and loved me, I cried.

I stared into Marcus' eyes, sobbing and crying tearlessly before falling to my knees. Marcus and Aro were beside me in an instant, wrapping their arms around me, but I didn't want Aro. He wasn't the comfort that I needed; Marcus, however, _was_ what I needed. He understood what it was like to lose someone, to have everything ripped out from under you, and have your entire world turned upside down in an instant.

I grabbed his shoulders and pulled myself into his lap, he complied and sat down, allowing me to get more comfortable. Aro, sensing that he wasn't wanted at that moment, kissed my head and shooed everyone out of the room, leaving me to cry for the next eight hours in my destroyed room with Marcus.

Now though, I was an Elite Volturi guard, the ancient's favorite, one of the most talented vampires to ever exist and also rumored to be the most beautiful in existence.

The brothers presumed that the change had affected me differently because I chose it. I was stronger than any other newborn they had ever encountered, my talent was powerful and completely unique. They also said that I should still be blood crazy even at this age, but my blood lust had only lasted 6 weeks. Now I was able to control my thirst enough to be in the presence of freshly spilt blood and numerous humans at a time, though that rarely happened.

But all these things were nothing to me, they didn't make me happy or excited, or intrigued like it did many others. My happiness and excitement mainly stemmed from my physical appearance. I was no longer a plain, simple looking brunette you could pass on the street without a second glance. Instead my waist length mahogany hair cascaded down my back in straight, smooth locks. My natural red highlights were now more visible and prominent, giving it a glossy and rich look, rather than the dull and frizzy version I had as a human. My arms and legs were more muscular and defined but still feminine and graceful at the same time. My stomach was tight and flat with only the slightest inclination to a six pack of abs.

My skin was the usual vampire white, though I hadn't thought it was possible to get any paler than I was before. My lips were still the same shape, one slightly bigger then the other, but were now a delicious dark red that set of my ebony lashes and dark hair nicely and complemented my pale skin.

My eyes, of course, were now red, bright red. I don't have a choice in what I eat and I didn't mind having human blood at all. I mainly drank donated blood, but I had attended a number of feedings and killed quite a number of humans during those times. If I had defied rules and gone with the 'vegetarian' lifestyle, I would be reminded of the Cullens whenever I saw my own golden eyes, and that was not something I wanted.

I knew that I would attract the Cullen's attention in more ways than one when they finally laid eyes in me. I knew that I could rival any and all of the beautiful female vampires around me and that only Rosalie would be some competition. I guess that was another wish I was granted, however unconscious it was. I was finally beautiful and powerful just like I had wanted last year so I could feel even an ounce of equality between myself and Edward. Now I had it, I didn't need to be his equal and he wasn't around at all for me to even try, but it was nice to know that he wasn't holding something over my head anymore.

I was brought back from my reverie when the oak doors opened enough for Demetri to slip through.

"The Cullen's are making their way here, Isabella."

I nodded but made no move to get up. I felt Marcus place his hands on either side of my waist and give me a gentle, half-hearted push; I smiled and refused to move. He laughed quietly and wrapped his arms around my front, pulling me closer to his chest.

"If you still wish to avoid them until the party," he whispered in my ear, "you best be going now. But by all means stay and reveal yourself now, Tesoro."

I groaned and made a show of moving off of his lap. He knew I wanted a more public place for my reunion with the Cullens and so I wouldn't linger much longer.

Demetri and Felix waited near a hidden panel that slid back and led into a tiny passageway, it was better to go out this way than to use the main door and risk having the Cullen's recognize my sweetened scent.

As I approached, Felix turned to slide back the panel, and I took advantage of his turned back by jumping on and wrapping my arms around his neck, letting my legs and feet dangle freely. He was as tall as Emmett, but not as bulky, still his height let me leave my feet free instead of having to bend or wrap them around his waist like I had to do when Demetri lifted me.

I heard chuckling behind me as Felix regained his balance.

"What am I? A horse?" He laughed, rubbing up and down my arms, leaving Demetri to pull out the panel.

Demetri gripped the side groove and yanked it open, straightened and motioned for Felix and me to go first.

"Well, I'm not sure a horse suits you, Felix," Demetri smirked and began to close the panel after us, plunging the tiny service hall into darkness, I could still see easily of course. "You look more like a donkey to me."

I couldn't help but laugh at Demetri's slight as I slid off of Felix's back and quickly danced away from the hand that darted out. Demetri always did find the most innocent ways to insult his companions, and it always made me laugh. It was one of the things I loved most about him.

"Shut up," Felix growled; with a well disguised snarl that only I could detect by the rumbling I felt in his chest because of the tight squeeze down the tiny hall.

We quickly made our way down the hall in silence; I was tempted to rush toward the end because the tiny peephole cover that would give me the perfect view of the Cullen's as the Brothers greeted them, came into my view. Just one tiny slip of material separated me from seeing the people who had left and betrayed me. I paused for only a second; almost imperceptible to a human, but Felix and Demetri noticed my pause and followed my gaze.

I blinked. _No, I couldn't look_. If I looked I would lose all control of my anger at once and the entire wall would come crashing down. My mouth filled with venom at the very thought of Edward getting too close to me even now. My anger and rational hatred of him had been the main factors in my choice to have a public reunion, a private one would be too dangerous for all parties involved.

With my mind made up, I stepped past it and continued on my way. Demetri followed, Felix did not.

I turned back toward him, to try and get him away since I had no desire to dwell here any longer. If it were anyone other then Felix I probably would have left them there, but I knew Felix and he would probably do something stupid and irrational as soon as he saw my past.

I took a step toward him; he still hadn't seen me staring at him and he quickly slid the silver cover away, peering into the room. I froze. I could hear voices, murmurs really, but I blocked them out, I really didn't want to hear or see them at the moment.

I shook my head knowing I would do no good now that he was staring, no doubt at Edward, he'd be transfixed for a minute or so and then dwell on what he saw until tomorrow night when he could face Edward and the Cullen's himself.

Once again I walked away and Demetri followed, we had walked one corridor before Felix caught up and acted like nothing was wrong, as usual.

We walked in companionable silence the rest of the way to the sunroom, my favorite retreat in the whole castle. When we reached the doorway atop one of the grand staircases I spun around on my heel with a mischievous smile on my face. Demetri and Felix immediately looked warily at me.

"So...am I saving you boys a dance or not?"

"Of course," Demetri answered at the same time Felix said:

"I wouldn't miss a chance to have your ass grinding into my-."

"Always the gentleman, Felix." Demetri cut him off with a disgusted sneer on his face. I, on the other hand, couldn't stop myself from laughing almost hysterically for a few moments, while Felix tried and failed to come up with a smart-ass comment to wipe the smug look of Demetri's face.

Once I regained my composure and Felix finally stopped racking his brain, I sidled up to him and placed my hands on his chest under the grey cloak he wore as a sign of his rank.

"You know we don't have to be on the dance floor for me to do that, don't you?"

He swallowed thickly as he looked into my eyes and I fiddled with the buttons of his shirt. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Demetri shifted his weight and raise an eyebrow in my direction. Surely he knew that I was only teasing Felix like I usually did? I wasn't actually going to kiss him.

At least that's what I kept telling myself.

I had kissed Felix before, but I had never initiated it like I was now, making circular motions on his chest with my thumb and biting my bottom lip. Of course he was more then eager to respond to the invite and settled his hands on my hips, leaning forward ever so slightly. Demetri stiffened and I told myself that I wasn't going to kiss Felix, merely tease him and pull away at the last moment. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but be annoyed when someone cleared their throat and interrupted my fun.

My smile vanished, as did Felix's, and my nose was assaulted with a number of different scents. By smell I could tell that there were a lot of them, most of them female and that they were 'vegetarian'. Other than the Cullens, there was only one other large coven of animal drinkers attending, the Denali's. Personal, close friends of the Cullens.

_This could be a problem._

"What do you want?" I tried not to come off as defensive, really I did, but I failed miserably. In a vain hope that if we ignored them the Denali's would just leave without recognizing me, I kept staring at Felix. His hands tightening around my hips told me that he was aware of the connection between the Cullen's and the coven before us.

I realized something then. I had never met the Denali's before and the Cullen's had no need to mention me, show them a picture or give them any information about me. They had left me, and Edward had taken all the tokens I had of him. I didn't matter to them anymore, they didn't love me and Edward certainly didn't either.

This thought gave me a surge of confidence as I turned and faced them, Felix leaving one hand on my hipbone but removing the other whilst Demetri moved to my left side. I raised my eyebrows at the group before me, radiating as much power and authority as I could muster on short notice.

My earlier assessment of this coven being made of more females than males was correct as I was faced with four females and only two males. As I assessed the group, I felt Felix and Demetri shift again, Demetri crouching slightly and Felix removing his hand to do the same. The Denali's shifted uncomfortably but knew better than to slip into an attack crouch in front of a newborn.

The female at the front, whom I assumed to be the leader of the coven, had strawberry blonde hair, a curvy figure and actually reminded me a lot of Rosalie, but was missing the one thing that made Rosalie as fierce and beautiful as she was. Attitude.

Two more blonde females flanked the leader: the one on my left having more gold than the one on the right, whose blonde hair was almost platinum. Standing furthest on the back of the staircase was a male and female who could only be described as a Latin god and goddess with their dark brown hair and seemingly tanned vampire skin.

The last male however caught my attention more than the others, and it seemed as though I had caught his as well. We studied each other intensely; he looked familiar with his dark skin and long dark dreadlocked hair, it tugged insistently at my memories.

I could hear the strawberry blonde trying to get my attention as I tried to sort through my human recollections, whilst trying to avoid the painful ones all at the same time. I desperately tried to block her out. It didn't work for long.

"Will you shut up, you stupid bimbo?" I snapped my gaze back to her and met her golden eyes for the first time in a matter of minutes. I smiled at the dumbfounded look on her face and turned back to the man I had just been inspecting.

"Who are you?"

The blonde closest to him, the platinum one, spun on her heel and looked at him accusingly, he didn't even acknowledge her.

"You don't remember me," He stated, his French accent accentuating the words and pulling the strings on my memories loose. And as clear as day he was standing there with James and Victoria at his side, the Cullen's huddled around me, protecting their pet. He was calling James, telling him to leave us alone and back away. The only difference in his appearance was that his eyes were now orange instead of red; he had transferred to the Denali diet.

"I do now, Laurent. You were a part of James' coven." He nodded, a small, guilty smile marring his face.

"I see that Victoria was too late, but I hadn't been aware that Carlisle changed you?"

Though I continued to stare into Laurent's eyes, beating back the many talks I had with Edward about changing me, I felt 5 pairs of eyes boring into my head. I ignored them and smirked sadly at Laurent.

"They didn't change me; Marcus did. I am an Elite guard of the Volturi and I wasn't aware that Victoria was even after me. Why?"

Laurent opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by the Latin god.

"Demetri? Felix? Is Marcus truly her sire?" His tone was laced with awe and disbelief; I didn't find it insulting in the least since it was always the reaction I got. And once you heard of the state Marcus had been in before I was found, it was understandable.

"Yes, Eleazar, he is. Our dear Isabella here brought Marcus back to us." I could hear the affection and awe in Demetri's tone as he answered Eleazar's question. Eleazar in turn now looked at me with different eyes. Calculation and wonder could clearly be seen.

"Wait. Your name is Isabella?" I nodded to the sandy blonde that stood on the leaders left, completely confused as to why she was asking me when she had hearing as good as mine.

Something in my answer made her look at me more closely. Taking in my hair color and facial features, something dawned in her eyes. "You lived in Forks and went by the name of Bella, you are Alice's best friend."

It wasn't a question; it was a statement of fact. She knew me and my connection with the Cullen's, and all I could do was look at her with wide bewildered eyes. The Cullen's had mentioned me by name, and possibly shown them a photo if she could recognize my main features. And it had been Alice. My once best friend who abandoned me like her brother, without a word, just up and left. Yet she was still calling me Alice's best friend.

"You're Edward's mate? The human he was in love with?"

"Tanya," The sandy blonde warned the leader, Tanya, as she took a threatening step forward, yelling at me.

"Let's get a few things straight, shall we?" I said sarcastically. Removing my hands from my hips and making claws at my side as Tanya continued her ascent up the stairs. "One: I am not Edward's mate nor will I ever be. Two: I am not Alice's best friend or even an acquaintance." My eyes flickered to the group behind Tanya who all looked very tense, their eyes drawn to my hands that had been flexing unconsciously. "Three: they left. They don't love me and I certainly don't love them. And Fourth: I am a newborn, so I would watch my step very carefully, Tanya."

She snorted and blatantly disregarded my advice as she kept coming closer, steeping away from the safety a large coven provides. Eleazar seemed to have heard the warning I had issued loud and clear, since he rushed forward and took hold of Tanya's arm.

"Don't, Tanya," he pleaded, keeping a wary eye on me. "She's more powerful then she seems." I had no idea how he would know that I wasn't an ordinary newborn, or even an ordinary vampire for that matter, since I hadn't displayed my talent and there weren't any physical indications other then my ability to keep focus for longer than a minute. Which I understood to be next to impossible for a newborn because of all our heightened senses.

That was hardly the point at the moment. The point was that Tanya was clearly enraged as she shrugged out of Eleazar's grasp and took two more steps toward me. Her eyes turning a weird mixture of black and gold as her emotions took hold and she started yelling, which immediately set me on the defensive, the predator inside me was clawing at its cage and started to seep through the bars.

"I worked on that boy since the first time I laid eyes on him. Almost 85 years I worked for his affections and yet you come along, a pathetic, weak, stupid human and tear it all away, capturing his heart. You took him from me! You took what bond we had the second you moved to Forks and into his life..."

I didn't hear the rest of her pretty little speech, though I'm sure it was impressive and rather inventive, but the second she took another step forward, putting her less then a foot in front of me, I started seeing red. I felt a pair of strong, firm arms wrap around my torso, pinning my arms to my sides where they could do no damage. Eleazar made one last attempt at pulling Tanya away, but again she was ignorant of the danger I posed and shrugged him off. He held on firm and she hissed at the increased pressure.

Although I was fully aware that the hiss wasn't directed at me, I bared my teeth and growled loud and long in response. That seemed to shock her enough to take a willing step back and hold her arms up in a peaceful gesture, a gesture I clearly intended to ignore.

I surged forward, dragging Felix with me, and snapped my teeth dangerously close to her face. Eleazar immediately let go of her arm and was crouched in front of the Latin female less than a second later. I also noticed that the sandy blonde vampire had been making her way down the staircase throughout the whole encounter and Laurent was currently mimicking Eleazar's position in front of the other blonde.

I sniggered in Tanya's direction as I realized that they had left Tanya to fend for herself now. Choosing instead to protect their mates, or had the right idea in the first place and were making a quick retreat. It was vampire instinct to protect your mate, even if it was your coven leader at risk from a threat. And I was currently a huge threat that had them all retreating as fast as they could without drawing my attention. Though in Tanya's case she was stumbling down the staircase blindly.

I could feel my shield pulsing around me, but I was too worked up to tell if it had actually expelled itself from my mind or if it was just tugging at it's mental restraints.

Felix tightened his hold on me as he dragged me back onto the landing and whispered in my ear.

"Calm down, Isabella. Everything is okay. You scared her off. She knows you're boss, just calm down, please?" I shook my head back and forth both in defiance and in an attempt to get rid of the red haze that still encompassed my vision. I tried and failed, I was still too worked up to get rid of the red on my eyes, and certainly too worked up to stop fighting with Felix so I could rip Tanya's throat out.

"Isabella."

My head snapped around at the sound of my name to see Marcus running down the hall.

The sight of him brought me back down to earth a little bit and the red film on my eyes eased a little. Now that I was able to concentrate properly I looked up to confirm if my shield had broken free or if it was still encased in my head. It was there. A bubble of sorts covered myself and Felix as it pulsed ruby red, which served as an indication of my emotions. I smirked at the sight of it, no one had ever gotten me so mad before, other than Jane, and even she couldn't pull this kind of rage from me.

My shield was a curious little thing. It started out as just a mental shield that I learned to expand and contract around other people; it had grown into a physical shield after one particularly nasty fight with Jane.

One minute we were screaming at each other over her insecurities and jealousy and the next minute she was slammed back first into a wall, with a bloody red bubble surrounding myself and pinning her to it. That was over a month ago. And I was still learning to control it and was unsure at times, as to which shield was which. They both felt similar and unless I was concentrating I could easily push out one or both of my shields.

I felt Felix loosen his hold on me cautiously. Once he was satisfied that I wasn't about to tackle Tanya to the ground, he let go completely and stepped back. I rolled my head and shoulders in an effort to get control of myself and calm down at least enough to get rid of my shield.

My efforts were futile as I could still feel my shield pulsing and pushing around the edges of my brain. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as an overwhelming sense of calm flooded my body.

I smiled at the peaceful sensation and opened my eyes to find that both the red film over my eyes and my shield were gone. The sound of a number of footsteps reached my ears, as they grew closer, slowed and then halted not to far from me. I hadn't noticed that anyone had accompanied Marcus and curiosity got the better of me.

Marcus, of course, was the first person I saw as he stood the closest to me with a small halfhearted smile on his face and concern showing in his eyes. Demetri, who I hadn't even noticed leave in my rage, was standing close to Marcus' side with his eyes sending daggers at Tanya.

There was one other person with them, standing almost at the bottom of the stairs, but was inching his way forward, carefully and cautiously, inch by inch, step by step.

Jasper Cullen.


	5. Chapter 4: Changed

**Chapter Four: Changed**

**Jasper's POV**

I had no idea why Alice insisted I go with Marcus and Demetri but I went anyway, offering my services as an excuse, because Alice knows best and you never bet against Alice.

I followed Marcus and Demetri down a number of hallways, no words were exchanged and no eye contact was made, which made me think that this was an expected event. This was understandable since there was a newborn involved but there was an unexplainable amount of annoyance radiating off of both the men in front of me.

Demetri was mostly annoyed, eager and angry. I assumed he was angry at the situation since all his frustration was not directed at me. Marcus, on the other hand, was a different matter. He felt anger against my whole family, especially Edward, and an insurmountable amount of annoyance was directed at me. I couldn't explain half of why he was so annoyed. I knew he was reluctant to let me come but the source behind his emotions was a mystery to me.

I was about to ask exactly what was going on so I could prepare myself to intervene if needed but Marcus abruptly stopped running. Demetri and I flew past him but quickly turned around. Demetri huffed in annoyance and slowly walked back to Marcus's side. It looked as if he was dying with every step he took away from what was ahead of us. He uncommonly fidgeted and bounced his leg, impatient to get back to where he was needed most. I concentrated a little more, delving into his emotions, immersing myself in them and found that there was a deep and profound love for, which I could only assume, was the newborn.

"I'm afraid I can't let you go any further, Jasper," Marcus's quiet but firm voice broke me free and delivered me back into my own emotions, capturing my attention. "Unless you swear to keep your mouth, and indeed your thoughts, in check." The annoyance I had felt rolling off him now doubled and mixed with protectiveness and an outright love that seeped into his voice. Demetri's emotions also changed in reaction to his master's word. He went from annoyed and angry to worried, protective and loving in a second as his eyes locked onto his master's face.

"The newborn you are about to meet," Marcus continued, "has an aversion to your family and one member in particular. Given that reason, she doesn't wish to be revealed and reintroduced to your family until the ball later tonight." He paused, I guess to see if I was keeping up or to gather his thoughts. I nodded in understanding just in case, but I still couldn't help but wonder why this particular newborn would have such an aversion. She was only six months old and we hadn't met anyone who had been turned as far as I knew. A thought entered my head but I quickly cast it away before I could consider it further.

"The Denalis have just made our decision to keep her existence a secret more difficult to keep. It is even harder because they have recognized her as well."

I frowned; we hadn't stayed with the Denalis recently and hadn't visited since we made a brief visit on our way to our new house in Alaska after leaving Forks. "As I'm sure you know from experience she has not reacted well to the situation, and given the history between your families, of which she is aware, it has only made it harder for her to stay in control of herself."

"I can only imagine how angry she is. Newborns as a general rule are unstable but to be put in such a position..." I trailed off, still deep in thought. Again Alice's description of a vision she had some months ago popped into my head. I forced it down again, hoping I was far enough from Edward that he could hear me.

Demetri's snorting brought Marcus and myself out of our wanderings and we looked at him curiously. "Angry would be an understatement, Empath. She's absolutely livid. Felix has had to physically restrain her, which won't do much good and her shield blew out as I ran down the stairs...almost knocked me flat it did."

Marcus's eyes grew wide with alarm but before I could ask what any of it meant he was already rounding the corner, his black robe whipping around behind him. Demetri and I raced after him and we didn't slow until we reached a giant archway. I was smashed with rage, hate and incredible amount of sadness that left me breathless, a next to impossible feat for a vampire, and I wanted to do nothing more then curl up in a ball and cry. I flinched and dropped back a little; Demetri tossed me a sympathetic look over his shoulder as he kept running straight ahead, his feet never faltering.

The closer I came to the newborn the more the emotions grew and intensified. Eventually, when I reached the corner, I had to stop completely and try to wrap my head around the situation before I even attempted to calm the newborn.

_How one earth could one person deal with all this sadness and depression? _I wondered, thinking of all the possible things that could happen to a person to bring about a reaction like this. She felt so alone, so angry and so much pure, unadulterated hate toward the Denalis that I couldn't imagine her hating my family more.

I took a deep breath and thought of Alice as I pushed the unwelcome emotions away and tried to spread calm into the room beside me.

One last breath and I felt as in control of my emotions as I could get and stepped around the corner, only to stop in my tracks once again, eyes wide with shock at the sight before me.

A few meters in front of me was a white marble floor and grand staircase, with white and gold banisters. There were two doorways on either side of me, guarded by polished oak and marble columns, three doorways stood at the top of the stairs. There was one doorway on the left and right sides of the staircase and an ornately decorated doorway placed at the very centre of the back wall. In-between each marble pillar on the ground floor was a giant gold frame with the most famous and glorious artworks I had ever had the privilege of seeing. Sadly, I hardly cast a second glance at them because what was happening on top of the white staircase was much more interesting, beautiful and frightening than any centuries old artwork could be.

Unconsciously my feet started taking slow deliberate steps closer to the staircase, before stopping just before the first step. Less then a meter away from Kate, who was slightly crouched defensively and didn't spare me a single glance, though I knew she was aware of my presence as her anxiety and desperation spiked.

I sent her as much calm as I could spare, deciding it best to use my influence on one person at a time and make it crawl it's way up the stair case and reduce the entire tense atmosphere. I looked back at the intoxicating image atop the stairs and took stock of what was in front of me, trying to make sense of it all.

Halfway up the staircase was the rest of the Denali coven. Carmen and Eleazar were closest to the bottom. Kate, Irina and Laurent were crouched and making a slow descent in front of them. Tanya...Tanya was the closest to the newborn but was steadily stumbling her way backwards down the stairs. Tanya had her hands held up in a gesture of surrender and peace whilst her face told me that she was wishing that she could expire on the spot. Her fear and anger were so thick that, if it were visible, I could cut it with a knife.

My assessment of the Denalis only took me a moment before my eyes were automatically drawn to the red pulsating bubble right at the top of the stairs.

It pulsed and moved like lava and grew larger with every step that Tanya took or was it the strange bubble that was pushing Tanya back? Closer examination of the bubble lead me to believe that it was indeed pushing her back but I now saw that two vampires were inside of it. One huge male, who was easily as big as Emmett, had his arms wrapped around a much smaller female in an effort to restrain her. It wasn't helping much, even as I watched she dragged him forward a few inches and snapped her teeth yet again at Tanya's face.

It was obvious that this was the newborn Aro spoke so fondly of, the newborn Demetri and Marcus seemed to love. She was that most interesting thing in this situation, as the bubble seemed to be coming from her.

She had straight, dark brown hair that cascaded down her back, over her shoulders and framed her heart-shaped face. And although her lips were currently pulled back over her teeth I somehow knew that one would be slightly bigger than the other. She was also a few inches taller than Alice but shorter than Rosalie, lean and muscular, with her hands currently in the shapes of claws and clenched at her sides.

Even as I looked into the face of this impossibly beautiful newborn - for she was the most beautiful vampire I had ever seen - I tried to fight back the idea of who this was; it was impossible after all.

For one, my sister was a human living in Forks, not a vampire living amongst the Volturi in Italy. Second, Bella by nature was not a violent person and never hated anyone... except for Lauren Mallory, but even then she felt sorrier for the girl more than she ever hated her. This newborn, this vampire, that stood mere meters from me was filled with malice, depression, sadness, loneliness and pure unadulterated hate for the vampires in front of her... and she hadn't even seen me yet.

If this was indeed my sister, then apart from the obvious physical changes she was a completely different person inside as well, almost unrecognizable. Her transformation from human to vampire would be hard for all those involved, especially my mother and brother. But this... this personality change would be the hardest thing for everyone to handle.

When the girl's head snapped in Marcus's direction I realized that he had spoken, and all my worst fears had been confirmed, all my walls came crumbling down with the one single word that escaped his mouth.

"Isabella."

As her eyes met Marcus's she calmed a little and his emotions turned worried and contemplative. Felix released Bella and stepped as far away as the bubble would let him, as though he was as trapped in it as Tanya was excluded from it. Bella began to roll her head and take deep breaths in order to calm herself. I decided to help her out and concentrate all my calm on her. Her muscles relaxed, a small smile appeared on her face, and the bubble dissipated into thin air.

Bella breathed deeply before opening her eyes and turning toward Marcus, who was walking slowly toward her with a small, affectionate smile on his lips. I could feel the comfort and calm his presence brought her but I still didn't lift my influence as I feared another flare up in her emotions the second she spotted me.

She smiled, genuinely happy to see Marcus before she turned to Demetri who was now throwing invisible daggers at Tanya. Bella seemed extremely amused as her eyes flickered back and forth between the two before my silent figure caught her eye.

She stared at me and I was glad in my choice to keep her under my influence because the emotions that were threatening to break through were tremendous and I'm sure she would have like nothing better then to tear my head off... and I had a feeling she would enjoy it.

"Thought I was too calm for my own good," she mumbled under her breath before glaring at Marcus. "You promised!"

"I know, Tesoro, but..." Marcus was so worried and upset that he had broken whatever promise he had made Bella, but when he took a step toward her and she immediately took one back, his feeling teetered on the knife's edge between rational and hysterical. He didn't want to loose her for whatever the reason and knew she could discard him aside without so much as a second glance on account of her raging emotions. "We needed his help Isabella," Marcus continued, his desperation clear in his voice. Bella's eyes softened in response but she didn't move. "You were out of control. I only wanted to protect you and this was the best way to do that. Forgive me?"

He pleaded with her! Shock ran through the hall as we watched this powerful, millennia old vampire plead with Bella for her forgiveness. Watched as he took a hesitant step forward and quickly grabbed her hands when she didn't retreat.

_What the hell is going on? _I wondered to myself.

Eleazar caught my eye, just as confused as I was, seeking an answer. I didn't have one for him. I was just as confused and clueless about this whole situation as he, so I shrugged my shoulders and returned my attention to Bella and Marcus who were now huddled together, one of his hands intertwined with hers whilst his other hand rested lightly on her hip as they conversed in Italian. I doubted that Bella knew that most of us here spoke and understood Italian just as well as she but I didn't wish to inform her, instead opting to keep quiet and listen.

" Se non era sospetti, prima con tutti blocco lui sarà certamente ora che i suoi amici e la famiglia farà lo stesso." _(If he wasn't suspicious before with everyone blocking him he certainly will be now that his friends and family will be doing the same.) _She whispered furiously at Marcus, their faces only inches apart.

"Isabella, I-."

"No!" She cut him off, jerking her right hand from his grasp. "Se con il Denali non era sufficiente problema è peggio ora, perché Jasper sa. E con le visioni di Alice che è certo di vedere qualcosa di me." _(No! If having the Denali's wasn't problem enough it's worse now because Jasper knows. And with Alice's visions she's certain to see something of me.)_

"Actually Bella," I interrupted hoping to diffuse the situation and get some answers of my own. "I don't believe Alice knows it's you. She been having visions of someone important since we decided to come here but they have always been hidden in shadows. The last time she saw you clearly was nearly 6 months ago. She said you appeared to be sleeping but someone was watching you from the shadows and dressed in black." My eyes flickered to Marcus who was wearing his jet-black robe; I wondered if it was he that Alice saw.

"She saw me change." Bella replied tersely and without taking her eyes off of Marcus.

"Bella, why?"

"Isabella." She corrected me, irritation now running of off her like a river. In accordance with her emotion her voice had change from the bell like sound she had used only moments ago and now sounded cold and hostile. I had never heard Bella sound like this before and it unnerved me to no end.

I felt my brow furrow. She hated being called Isabella, but I suppose that the change in her name preference was probably a result of the change in personality. I didn't like it; she had always been sweet, innocent, clumsy Bella. Not this... this shell. This cold, hard impersonation of her other self, the self my family knew and loved. But this personality she was now exhibiting… I always knew it existed but never thought I'd see because it's traits had been so weak.

"_Isabella,"_ I said making sure to pronounce it with as much distaste as I could, but she didn't pay any attention to it. "Why won't you see us now? Carlisle and Esme would be ecstatic to see you, to know that their daughter -"

She flinched and pulled Marcus closer to her so that her whole body was now pressed against his, while his hands moved to her lower back securing her position there before I continued. "- is in the same city. They have missed you. We all have." She shook her head vigorously and tried to fight the calm I still enforced on her. I sighed in defeat. "Can I at least tell them you are here?"

"No. You can't tell anyone because I don't wish to see any of you. I will tolerate your presence for a few hours before you leave_ again." _This time it was my turn to flinch; she disregarded it. "And I will never see you after that if I can help it. So you will keep your mouth shut and your thoughts on anything else but me when in the presence of your brother and family. That goes for you as well." Her eyes moved slowly over the Denali's, making eye contact and confirming their agreement before moving to the next.

Of course they all nodded their agreement, sensing like I did that Bella possessed powers beyond the extraordinary newborn strength. Bella's eyes stopped on Tanya for longer than the others; curious I looked and internally groaned. Tanya was standing with her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face, oozing defiance. Like always, Tanya had to let her pride get in the way of her common sense.

"Why?" She queried, enjoying the way Marcus stiffened and clutched Bella's hips tighter incase she should try to attack. "Why should I? They deserve to know. They were your family once upon a time after all."

"It won't be in your best interest to tell them, Tanya." Bella's voice was cold and steely, her eyes were on fire and they started to change color.

"What happens if I let it slip? Accidentally, of course!"

"Then I shall rip your head off and dance on the ashes." Bella's voice that was cold and steely moments before now burned with a silent rage. And though her voice was displaying anything but friendly intentions, her smile and eyes were telling another story. She smiled sweetly as her eyes returned to their normal vibrant red and danced with amusement similar to a child who had just been given a shiny new toy.

A collective gasp and tremendous waves of shock rose from the Denalis, all of them confused. Probably wondering where the sweet teenage girl they had heard so much about from Carlisle, Esme and Alice, had gone. Along with the confusion Eleazar was experiencing he was also in awe of her and I could only imagine the amount of power he was picking up off of her. I also knew that it wouldn't be long until his curiosity won out and he would want some answers and background information.

This new Bella, this new person that seemed to have overtaken her body, baffled me. I couldn't understand her personality but her emotions were the one thing I could try to understand and feel completely. They were the only things I was sure about now. She was so sad and insecure, she was angry with me and my family and hated us so much that if I wasn't an empath I wouldn't have believed one person could feel hate, anger and betrayal so much and so thoroughly.

She hated us with every fiber of her being. The hatred and anger ran deep and sung within every cell of her body and soul, crashing upon me like a tidal wave, drowning me.

Without another word she let go off Marcus, turned and ran gracefully through the marble doorway directly across from us and up the circular staircase and beyond at vampire speed. Demetri followed her a second later, with one last glare at Tanya before he disappeared.

I shook my head sadly at the sight of my sister's anger and sense of betrayal. Betrayal...the word got me thinking of what Edward had actually said to her the day we left. Alice had seen, of course, but refused to tell us, as it was too painful for her to rethink the words and see Bella's face all over again.

Until Alice had that horrible vision we had all assumed that he was telling her that this was for the best and that this was for her... that it was to protect her and to allow her the life she deserved to have. But the betrayal, anger and hatred I felt coming off Bella couldn't have just been born from Edward telling her we were protecting her by leaving.

Suddenly I understood why Alice hadn't wanted to tell us; the pain she must have seen Bella in at that moment, whatever words Edward had inflicted on Bella, would have hit Alice harder than the emotions that were now deeply imbedded in Bella. Only moments ago did I want to know what my brother told my sister and now I found myself cringing at the thought of it... I didn't want to know.

"Your rooms will be moved from the south wing to the west to ensure that none of you slip and reveal her before tonight," Marcus said after staring pensively and longingly at the archway Bella had just disappeared into. He was eager to go to her but knew that he had a duty to do here first and his impatience and authority came through whilst he spoke, making eye contact with no one but Tanya. "You would do well to remember, Tanya, that Isabella is no ordinary newborn, as I'm sure Eleazar can tell you." He motioned in Eleazar's general direction, his order clear. "The other thing you should know about Isabella is that she means what she says. Provoke her again and she will dispose of you in seconds and trust me when I say that you wouldn't be the first of our kind to suffer an untimely death by her hands."

Felix chuckled loudly, clearly reliving the unfortunate vampires death, as Tanya bowed her head under the force of Marcus's gaze. To anyone who wasn't a mind reader or an empath like myself, Tanya would seem shameful of her behavior and accepting the advice, but in reality she was doing anything but that. The rage and humiliation Bella had caused her was boiling beneath her skin. She couldn't wait to get her hands on Bella.

"Jasper, you may return to your family." I nodded but Marcus had already turned to talk to Felix. "Felix, show them to their new rooms."

Marcus didn't say another word and Felix automatically started down the stairs, urging Tanya down them as well.

Everyone had gathered where I stood at the bottom of the steps when Eleazar suddenly turned back to the staircase and yelled out for Marcus just before the ancient disappeared into the same archway Bella had gone through minutes ago.

Marcus's irritation grew immensely. He was so desperate to be by Bella's side that it was like an automatic pull he couldn't refuse and anything that kept him from it was in danger of being punished or worse, destroyed, depending on his mood and I guess the situation as well.

"May I request an audience with yourself and Isabella?" Eleazar asked confidently. Ignoring the apprehension I was sending him and the way Carmen's hand tightened around his own.

I looked back at Marcus to see him considering Eleazar with a calculating gaze, his head tipped to the side slightly. I could feel the ancient's curiosity building and leaking through his impatience to be upstairs with Bella. Although I knew that Eleazar had served as a Volturi guard for quiet some time before he met Carmen, I'm certain that Marcus hardly recognized him, though it was made obvious that Marcus was aware of Eleazar's 'extra senses'.

I had heard of the fragile, catatonic state that he had been in after his mate's horrible and mysterious termination. Even now he seemed to be quiet compared with his brothers but he was sure and authorative as he spoke and made decisions, never letting his emotions get the better of him unless it came to Bella and the love he felt for her.

It was hard to imagine a vampire, let alone one of Marcus's stature and character, to be sitting still as stone with glazed eyes as he stared into his memories. Reliving the years he had spent with his wife, Didyme, only moving to analyze people's relationships and touch his brother's palm to let him know what he saw.

"Of course Eleazar," Marcus's voice rang clear around the hall again. "Though I'm sure Isabella would appreciate if it waits until after the ball. We will be able to answer your questions more fully then."

Eleazar nodded and Marcus turned around and started to walk up the staircase Bella had disappeared up minutes ago, whilst the Denalis and I turned to follow Felix.

"And by all means, Eleazar," Marcus called back down to us and Eleazar turned, though we could only see the last flicker of Marcus's robe disappearing around the corner. "Bring your mate with you."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Carmen tense but Eleazar was only amused by Marcus's behavior. I tried to reassure Carmen with my gift. In response, she relaxed and gave me a grateful smile before they turned right and followed Demetri to their new rooms. I turned left to find my family's rooms, where they were no doubt waiting for my return.

This should be fun.

12


	6. Chapter 5: Preparations

**Chapter Five: Preparations**

**Bella POV**

After fleeing up the stairs to the sunroom, where I always went at this time of morning, to watch the sun rise and feel the heat on my cold skin, I sat on one of the many huge silk cushions and leaned against a stone pillar as Demetri sank down beside me and held my hand. Thankfully, he knew me well enough to know that all I needed right now was to think, not talk, as Felix would have bugged me to do so had he followed.

I had calmed down a lot, although I suppose I had Jasper to thank for that as I was sure I would have ripped off Tanya's head after another one of her idiotic comments. Of course ripping the bitch's head off would have instantly sent the Cullen's into high alert and the other members of the Denali coven wouldn't have been able to keep the identity of their leader's killer a secret.

Although I was pissed that Jasper had found me out, I was kind of thankful it was him and not one of the other Cullen's, especially Esme or Alice. I knew that Jasper was capable of keeping his thoughts hidden from Edward but if Alice had found me she would have been jumping and squealing like the evil little pixie she is.

Wait… no she wouldn't. She wouldn't squeal, or jump, or even be happy to see me. She'd probably go running to Edward and warn him that I was here and that I was a vampire. She would tell him so that he could leave before he had to lay eyes on his last distraction. Although him leaving probably wouldn't be a bad thing, it would just defeat the reason why I had suggested we throw a ball and have the Cullen's join us.

Alice left me just like her brother did, and just like the rest of them did without a good-bye. One minute she was in my life, my best friend and future sister… And the next minute, she was gone. She didn't love me, she didn't want me, none of their family did.

I didn't even want to contemplate what Esme would have done had she been the one to see me. She was the only mother figure I could remember other then the vague, flighty impression I had of my own mother, but even Esme had left me. She had left just like the rest and hadn't said a word; she had told me that I was like a daughter to her and Carlisle - obviously not. That made my venom boil. They couldn't have loved me like a daughter if they had left in such a hurry, knowing exactly what their abandonment would do to me in my fragile human state.

Why wasn't I good enough? Why didn't they love me like they had led me to believe? Why did they refuse to turn me when they knew that it was what I wanted? Did they not know how much I had loved them? Did they not understand what they had all meant to me?

These are the questions I used to torture myself with constantly. But I had learned to accept them, I knew the answers and I knew that there was nothing I could – or wanted – to change after everything I had experienced over the year without them. The only thing left to do in order to move on was to let go but that proved to be harder to accomplish than I had originally thought.

Even knowing the answer right from the start hadn't helped me to move on and leave them behind. Sure it had helped me to accept my circumstances but it didn't help me start over.

"…_My family and myself…I don't want you to come with me Bella…"_

"_You don't want me?"_

"_No."_

To this very day those words haunt my soul and although the human Bella had cried and retreated into herself, the vampire that I now am made me stronger and I was able to handle it, accept it even embrace it. The Cullen's made me realize that although they hadn't wanted me, someone else did. That just because I wasn't the perfect fit for their family didn't mean that I wasn't perfect for someone else's. I realized that I was good enough for someone, I just had to find them and that I could have anything I wanted. I could have the happiness and the love I desired, it just couldn't be with them.

I couldn't have the Cullens or Edward to fill the love that I craved and I had found someone, another family, who could give me that which I needed. With the Volturi I had people who loved and cared for me, as well as people who fought and detested me. I had people who understood my broken heart and helped me cope with it. I even had people that had been through worse in their lives and helped me to accept that maybe, what I had happen to me wasn't the worst thing that could have happened. Edward was alive after all and Didyme, Marcus's mate, was not.

I was happy here in Italy with my new family and no longer wanted the Cullens for my own. If they didn't want me, didn't love me enough to stay and to turn me, then that was fine because I was now surrounded by people who did just that and people who would never abandon me.

Light, quick footsteps making their way up the circular staircase brought me out of my personal wonderings. I turned my head to look at the doorway expectantly; Marcus appeared a second later and quickly dismissed Demetri with a lazy flick of his fingers as he walked toward me.

I squeezed Demetri's hand in thanks and gave him a weak smile in return for the dazzling one he gave me before he disappeared down through the entryway. Seconds later I heard the door at the bottom of the tower close. I smiled again, at his thoughtfulness; I really did love Demetri but I was so confused as to how I loved him. I knew what type of relationship he wanted with me, it was the same one Felix wanted with me, and I wasn't too sure about it, considering the state my heart had been in lately. Thankfully Demetri understood and never pressed the subject, saying that I would come to understand my feelings and make a decision that was right for me in time.

I looked back at Marcus as he stood in front of me with his hand stretched out toward me. I placed my hand in his and he promptly pulled me from my sitting spot, and led me across the room and placed another silk cushion closer to the balcony before he folded himself onto it and pulled me onto his lap. I smiled as he wrapped his arms around me, enveloping me in his scent as I cuddled closer, resting my head in the crook of his neck whilst one of my hands rested on his forearm, silently telling him not to let me go.

To an outsider looking in on Marcus and I you would think that we had mated but he was nothing more then a confidant, my closest friend but somehow different. It was something I couldn't quite describe but it had always been like that. Ever since the first day we met his scent and presence had been a comfort for me and he had taken a liking to me, which was apparently unheard of since his mate's death. I always felt at home with him and the fact that he had felt the same from the word go with me was a complete shock to everyone in the castle, especially his brothers. I must admit that I had a hazy memory of Caius and Aro's shock faces when Marcus had spoken but I can't be certain, all of my focus was on him.

"_Do you know what we are?" Caius hissed at me again. It seemed to me that it was the hundredth time he had asked that question but I was as inclined to answer now then the first dozen times he had asked. From my very first step in this room I hadn't looked up, acknowledge or answered anybody, choosing instead to stand as still as I could and try to drown out the pain I felt from being back in the presence of vampires. I was having an especially hard time drowning the memory of Edward showing me these exact vampires in a portrait that hung in Carlisle's study, I was barley holding onto consciousness at this point. _

_Someone said something but the words didn't register, words meant nothing to me now. Life meant nothing to me now and they were only going to kill me anyway, so why bother giving the information they seek and break my three-month silence on them? _

"_Youngling?" The one named Aro called to me again from his throne on a raised stone dais. I didn't answer but I could hear the faulty concern that was in his voice. "Why were the Cullens so interested in you?"_

_Again with the same question, well a variation of words that all meant the same thing. Why did a bunch of animal drinkers doing keeping company with a sweet smelling human? Little did they know that I was nothing but the oldest sons distraction and they had nothing to worry about. _

_After waiting a few seconds for an answer that never came Aro sighed and sat down in his chair looking rather defeated as I continued to stare at the stone walls of the anti-chamber. _

"_Please, master?" One of the vampires that found me, Alec, pleaded yet again. "If only you would touch her you would see that she is no ordinary human. She has potential to be very powerful. I cannot cut off her senses and Demetri cannot track her, I doubt that even my sister could torture her." Somebody snarled but Alec ignored them. _

_Honestly I had no idea what they were talking about. Edward had never been able to hear my thoughts but I had assumed that meant I had some kind of glitch in my brain, and they were going on about me being special and powerful. I was neither of those things; I was just a distraction, a plaything. I was Edward Cullen's pet for a few short months. _

"_Master you know that Carlisle's coven," My eyes started to cloud with tears at the sound of Carlisle's name but Alec didn't seem to notice. "Wouldn't have taken an interest in her if she wasn't special. They have mingled with humans for centuries so why bring this one into the circle? She is special, please master just tou-"_

"_Enough!" Caius snarled standing from his chair in one swift calculated movement. Alec automatically closed his mouth and stepped away from me. "Stop your relentless pleading Alec. Whether she is special or not does not matter. If she is aware of what we are and will continue her silence it is obvious that she does not wish to join us, and you know full well that we only take those who choose to be among us." Caius's words were harsh and to the point but seemed to have the effect he wanted since Alec kept his mouth shut and some among the crowd voiced their agreements, though I'm not sure they had any say in the brothers decisions. "Brother?" Caius turned to Aro and touched his brother's palm, which seemed like an odd thing to do but I hadn't time to wonder about that because another voice spoke to me. A voice that broke through the walls and tore them down, one that shocked me to the core and made me move of my own free will. Two words, two simple words summed up my whole being, two words that described what was going on in my very soul. _

"_You're broken." _

_This voice knew what had happened to me one way or another, because he had made a statement of fact, not an assumption or a question, it just knew. I looked toward the voice to find the third brother, Marcus, looking at me, his eyes a mixture of pain, torture and lifelessness just like my own._

_I felt the tears that had clouded my eyes run down my cheeks slowly one by one but getting faster with every step this strange, tortured vampire took toward me. I wasn't scared at his approached; I wasn't scared of his red eyes or how his hands reached for my face. I was drawn to him. I was drawn because somehow I knew that he was feeling the same pain I felt, he had the same torturous hole in the chest that I endured everyday, he felt like the same shell I had become. A mere ghost figure of the girl I used to be and so was he. I could see in his eyes that he too felt lifeless and depressed and wished for nothing more then the gapping whole in our chest's would heal and close forever. _

_When his hands touched my cheeks, wiping the tears from my face with his thumbs, I leaned into the sweet, cold caress and closed my eyes just to feel and revel in the feel and texture of his hands against my own, much warmer, skin. _

"_Your bonds have been severed. The ones that you live for are black and tattered. They are the ones that link with the Cullens, yes?" I opened my eyes as he spoke, saw the encouragement in his red pools and spoke for the first time in months. _

"_Yes." I heard the shuffling of feet but Marcus spoke again and they were quickly drowned out again. _

"_How have they broken you so badly?" _

_I took a jagged breath, willing my tears to cease as I told him and his brothers all they wanted to know. "They left me. I know what you are. I know what the Cullen's are. I haven't told anyone your secret nor will I ever because I wish to become one of you." I paused and took a deep breath, never breaking eye contact with the vampire before me. "The Cullen's were like my family. Carlisle was sort of a father figure to me." I choked back a sob as I said his name but was unable to contain it when I said the next one. "Esme…Esme was like the mother I never had. Carlisle's youngest daughter, Alice, was my best friend. The second son, Emmett, was a brother to me. And Edward," I cringed and closed my eyes. "Edward, Carlisle's first son…well…he was my mate."_

_I heard a series of snarls, hisses and gasps escape the vampires in the room but took no notice as I kept staring at Marcus, letting him guide me by the hand onto the stone dais and placed my hands in his brother Aro's. _

_Aro frowned and tightened his grip infinitesimally, after a minute he let go and smiled at me. "Indeed you are special, and I now know why Edward took a liking to you. Heidi?" A vampire with long brown hair stepped forward. "Find a room for…?" _

_Aro looked back at me, I felt Marcus take my hand in his again, encouraging me yet again. _

"_Isabella." _

_Aro beamed at me, teeth and all, I didn't flinch and he seemed impressed by it. "Such an appropriate name for you my dear. Heidi find Isabella a room near Marcus's quarters and send Gianna out for some food." Heidi scowled but nodded before disappearing through the same door I had walked in. I turned to Aro and looked at him inquiringly, but Marcus answered pulling my face toward his with his fingers under my chin. _

"_We have to have you healthy and strong before anything else can happen." In that moment I knew what he meant... I was to be changed. _

Marcus and I have been virtually inseparable ever since.

There had been many rumors to reach our ears over the months that Marcus had chosen another mate but I knew he still loved his wife and the fact that he still insisted on calling Edward my mate until the last bond was severed attested to his non-romantic feelings toward me.

At first I had insisted that my bond with Edward was broken, completely and beyond repair. But Marcus's ability to see relationships gave him the advantage in that argument. He explained to me that Edward had picked me as his mate and whether he left or not that bond still connected us, as there was a faint bond that still connected me to him. All my relationships with all the Cullen's were all but invisible, black but almost non-existent. Whilst the one that links Edward to me and me to him was black and tattered with holes along the ribbon as opposed the faint sky blue that it should have been.

The more my personality changes the weaker the bond gets but it refuses to let go, though it is barely hanging on. This is the reason I suggested a ball, not only as a source of entertainment in this never ending life but also as a way to say goodbye on my terms and let him go completely. This was also to show him what he had done by leaving me in Forks and what person I had become because of it.

I wanted this permanent goodbye so that I was capable of moving on from this thing, this incident, and try to find my true mate since it was obvious that he wasn't mine.

Marcus and I sat in the sunroom for hours with no one to disturb us; the only moves made were my shift in position in order to be closer to him and his hands as they ran through my hair. We hardly talked but the silence was comfortable and never awkward. We watched the sun rise; turning our skin into shimmering diamonds, and begin to fall again before Santiago, a lower level guard, came up and informed us that tonight's pre-ball feast would be arriving shortly, he slipped down stairs a second later, eager for his next meal.

I personally thought that the way the Volturi shipped all of their meals into the city under false pretenses was quite disgusting. So I opted to drink bags of donated blood that Aro and Marcus acquired for me on a regular basis, from the blood bank that the Volturi Corporation now owned. Needless to say I got as much blood as I needed and whenever I wanted without much fuss.

I rarely attended feasts since the start of my sixth week as a vampire. I had been a little horrified with myself after my first few meals, especially the very first. Almost 60 humans had been brought in from all over the country in my honor, if that's what you can call it, and I had gotten possessive and gluten myself on no less then 10 humans before I felt full and the blood started to slosh in my stomach with every move I made.

Naturally Aro was ecstatic with the amount I consumed and was especially joyful about how I growled and snapped at anyone who got to close to my kills. Caius was busy draining a teenage girl in his arms, whilst Marcus collected the blood running from the corner of my mouth with his thumb before he turned to find a sweet smelling human for him self.

I had never consumed so many humans in one feast as I had that first night, though my instincts begged me to take more then I allowed myself.

Marcus shifted beneath me and pushed me off his lap till I was standing.

"Will you be joining us tonight Isabella?" He asked as he unfolded himself from the floor. He asked before every feast.

"Of course, it is a special occasion after all." _And the brighter my eyes look the better._ I added silently to myself.

Marcus smiled at me brightly as he took my hand and led me to the feeding chamber at the bottom of the tower.

The feeding chamber was designed for that exact purpose, right from the location slightly underground, at the base of the tower to what materials the room was made of. The feeding chamber was made entirely of thick stone and dipped slowly, almost unnoticeable if you were a human into a huge ornate drain in the middle of the room. The scent of old and dried blood permanently permeated the air in and around the room. I tried not to think of the how many hundreds of years of blood had passed through that drain and had dried against the walls and the floor at the bottom were it ran into the prison cells through small tracks made in the stone floor in an effort to drive those we held prisoner insane from bloodlust, until we got what we wanted from them.

We made it to the feeding chamber within a matter of minutes. The room was packed with most of the guard in attendance, along with the wives of course.

Though the wives were rarely seen, every time you laid your eyes on them you couldn't help but be in awe and fear of the quiet women. Both having been a few years older then the brothers themselves, their skin had the same papery quality and milky eyes. Although Athenodora looked to be practically blind with how much her eyes had clouded over. She, like her husband, Caius, never took much notice of me for which I was thankful for but her sister, Sulpicia, didn't do me the same kindness.

She loathed me every bit as much as I loathed her for the simple fact that she seemed to be under the impression that I was trying to steal her mate, which was as far from the truth as anything in this world. Aro was my mentor and sometimes more of a father figure and he had expressed more then once that he thought of me as a daughter, or as close as he could get to having one.

Noticing me at once Sulpicia moved closer to Aro's side whilst her sister simply looked in my direction before walking into a patch of sunlight that filtered through one of the small rectangular windows, that were set high in the wall.

Marcus, knowing my sensitivity around Sulpicia, never let go of my hand as Aro embraced me and kissed my cheek, as was a usual greeting for me. I smiled back at him before hesitantly turning my gaze to his beautiful wife.

"Hello Sulpicia." I was proud that I had been able to keep my voice even and neutral, instead of the squeak that came out the first time we had been introduced.

"Marcus. Isabella." Was all she said in reply. Tension grew thick in the air between my self and Sulpicia as I fumble to say something, anything, but luckily the sound of feet hitting heavily on the cobblestone outside the wooden doors saved me. I turned away from her quickly and somewhat dragged Marcus behind me and over to his chair, he, of course, was shaking with silent laughter at my antics.

He took his seat as did Caius, Athenodora ghosting behind his chair along with a few of his personal guard. Aro remained standing in front of his chair ready to great our next meal as his wife retreated to stand beside her sister. It seemed odd to me to think that once Marcus's own mate was standing their along with her sisters, and not for the first time I found myself wishing that I could have met her before she died. If not to find out what kind of person she was, than for Marcus. Having her beside him would mean the world to him. I knew that, you could see it in his eyes, but here I stood beside him in her place, not as a mate but as a friend of sorts.

The sound of frantic beating hearts approached the now opening wooden doors and the gathered vampires pressed themselves close enough to the walls to allow the humans sufficient room to congregate. Enough room for Santiago and Heidi to close the doors and block their escape.

From the sounds of their hearts some were scared, others rather excited and other were panicking and hyperventilating. Those were always the ones who believed in the old vampire legends and figured out what was going on.

"Greeting friends and welcome to Volterra." Aro cried sounding delighted with his arms spread open as if to embrace them and a wide smile plastered on his face.

I watched as more and more humans filed in, each taking in their surroundings and the pale, beautiful people around them. I laughed when most of the men in the front and even some of the women stared at me. Awe and jealously in the eyes of the women, and pure lust in the men's. Marcus too laughed since this was a regular occurrence whenever I attend a feast. Aro quickly following their gaze smiled wider and called for them to all come closer to make room for the others at the back. Naturally they moved forward hesitantly, even if they didn't notice it consciously.

Finally all the humans were inside and the doors swung shut, the bolt sliding over to secure the doors in place. The heartbeats picked up, the blood flowing faster through their veins and the sweat that broke out on some of them made their smell even sweeter. I could practically taste the fear on my tongue. My throat burned, my muscles tensed in anticipation as we all waited for Aro's signal.

I knew before the smile on Aro's would fall who I wanted, and I wanted at least three or four of them to make my eyes stand out more and so that I wouldn't feel the urge to attend another feast for quite sometime. Fresh blood tasted so much better than donated and bagged blood.

Aro's face fell from the welcoming smile to an evil grin in a split second as he surveyed the room.

"To Saint Marcus." He said looking at his brother, silently offering him to give the order.

"To Saint Marcus." The guard, including myself, said in unison as Marcus stood and placed his hand on the small of my back pulling me to his side. He leaned down and brushed my hair behind my ear before he whispered loud enough for only the vampires to hear.

"Eat."

Instantly I sprung forward and sunk my teeth into the jugular of the Greek man I had my eye on. As I felt his blood rush into my mouth and slide down my throat I was faintly aware of the others around me making their kills, the humans screaming and making futile attempts to run.

As I dropped the now drained man I noticed some of the humans banging on the wooden door and quickly spotted my next kill. She was backing up against the wall watching the massacre before her, tears running down her ivory cheeks and black hair sticking to her face with sweat. I was in front of her with my hand on her arm before she could even register my movements. She screamed but a papery white hand closed over her mouth cutting her off. I looked up to see Marcus standing next to me, smudges of blood staining his lips. I smiled at him before jerking my chin in the girls' direction.

"Share?"

His eyes widened a bit in shock. It was extremely rare for a vampire to share anything, particularly food and it was even rarer for a newborn like myself to willing give up half her kill for another. Sharing a meal was said to be a very intimate act but I didn't see the big deal. Yes we would be sharing the girls' blood and each other's venom but he was my maker, I already had his venom running though me so it wouldn't be anything new except that he would be tasting my venom for the first time.

Everything seemed to go quite around us the second I asked and I was vaguely aware of the stares we were getting from those closest to us, I didn't care. I wanted this girl and so did he, the only way he was getting her is if he shared or ordered me to find another, which would not sit well.

He nodded and leaned towards the girls pulsing jugular as I buried a hand in her hair and pulled her head back for more exposure, my other hand rested along side Marcus's on her torso, essentially pinning her to the wall. I saw him lick her skin before I too bent over the girls' throat on the opposite side. I heard her muffled scream as he bit her and smelled his venom staring to mix with her blood a moment before I too bit down and pierced the girl's skin.

I swallowed the blood slower then I did before to get the most I could out of her since I was sharing. I swallowed twice before I started to notice Marcus's venom entering my mouth too. His venom seemed to sweeten the taste and made me pull harder; somehow his venom was making it more addictive.

I heard Marcus pause in his drinking and I wondered why but as he began to drink again. I realized that he was waiting for my venom to spread further into her system. I wonder if my venom makes it sweeter for him as well or if it tastes repulsive now?

That question wasn't important though as the girl was quickly running dry and her heart finally stopped.

I broke away first and held the girl as Marcus took his last pull, officially drying the girls veins. He broke away and I instantly dropped the girl to the floor before I glanced at him. He was staring at me; his eyes looked no different then they would if he had fed by himself. The red was over taking the black as it should but he was looking at me weirdly.

I frowned and cocked my head to the side as in to say 'What?'

He chuckled lightly before he raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly at the others in the room.

I followed his gaze and was met with a number of red and black eyes staring in our direction.

_What the bloody hell?_

Again, what was the big deal? Even though I was clearly staring right back at them they didn't look away, it was as though they were stunned, shell shocked, dumbfounded, whatever you want to call it they looked like a bunch of idiots all gaping at us like that. I pursed my lips and my irritation grew as Marcus continued to laugh. Aro was staring like the others and his wife was looking at me curiously along side her sister. Finally I did the only thing I could think of.

I pulled my lips back over my teeth and hissed.

And just like that they went back to feeding. Although I had come in here with the intention of having three or four humans I had now lost my appetite. So I made my way back to the door and slid open the bolt, it wouldn't be needed now since all the humans were dead. Not that I really got why they needed them in the first place but anyway.

I made it back to my room alone and glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.

I sighed. It was 1 in the afternoon and I wasn't expected downstairs for another four hours to help set up a few last minute things, like the donated blood table. Fortunately I hadn't been put in charge of getting the animal blood for the Cullen and the Denali covens, which was left for Simon, a punishment of sorts for insulting me.

I sighed and threw my almost black cloak over my burgundy chaise before I stepped back into the hall and walked into Marcus's study/library.

I love this library; Marcus had thousands upon thousands of books from every era on every subject you could think of. I often spent a lot of my time in here reading for hours after I became animated again and even after my change I still spent very minute I could here, though I hadn't read as much as I would have liked.

My reading taste had also changed since leaving Forks. I now steered clear of Jane Austen and haven't read Wuthering Heights since Edward's departure either. Having that thought in mind I breezed past the original copies of Jane Austen's works and reached for the Bryce Courtney novel I started 2 nights ago.

The next two and a half hours of my time were spent absorbed in Tandia's life. I managed to finish the novel just as Marcus appeared in the doorway. I smiled at him as I returned the book to its place among the thousands; he smiled back in greeting before he picked up his dusty old book and began to read.

I wandered along idly looking at the many great books that were on display before me on chestnut shelves that spanned three of the four walls in this level.

"Nothing catch your attention down here, Isabella?" Marcus chuckled as he noticed me making my way up the spiral staircase to the second level of the library.

There were very few chairs on this level and it was more or less a balcony that wrapped itself around the top half of the room. I laughed as I looked up at the books piled in front of me and began resuming my search.

"No, nothing yet but I'm sure something will soon." I replied quietly knowing he would hear me. He laughed in response and returned to his book once again.

As that sentence left my lips I came across an original edition of a book I hadn't read in years and barely remembered anyway. Immediately I reached for it and threw myself over the ballista, landing perfectly on the balls of my feet without a sound.

Marcus looked up curiously as I settled in a leather loveseat near his desk.

He raised a skeptical eyebrow in my direction. "Really Isabella? Bram Stoker?"

"Yes I haven't read this book in years and don't remember much of it anyway, so why not?" I explained trying to hold in my laughter as I held up the century old copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

"I suppose. I'm just a little shocked that out of my whole collection you singled out that particular book, Tesoro."

Before I could reply there was a knock on the door, immediately I threw my mental shield out over Marcus as well. It wasn't really necessary but with all the nomads around the castle at the moment - many of who had talents - I couldn't really take any chances.

"Enter." Marcus whispered appearing to be uninterested with the whole situation.

I tried to appear absorbed in my book and let my hair fall in front of my face so I could see who was coming without them knowing I was paying close attention. My façade was impossible to continue as a bouncing little pixie danced into the room ahead of her scarred husband and Felix.

"Bella!" Alice squealed and ran toward me; her arms open to embrace me.

_I don't think so pixie._

My eyes shot up to see her fully at the same time a rose colored bubble encased myself; she stopped immediately an inch before she came in contact with my shield.

"Isabella." I hissed. She didn't seem shocked by my tone so I guess she saw my reaction to her and decided to ignore it. The shield she didn't see because I wasn't planning on throwing it out when I saw her, actually I wasn't planning on seeing her for a few more hours. "What are you doing here?"

"I figured out the person I've been seeing in my visions was you about half an hour ago. When I knew it was you everything cleared up, I can see you fine now." Alice tried to step closer but my shield pushed her back two more steps when she came into contact. She didn't like that.

"Bella Swan get rid of this thing!" To match her whining tone she balled her hands up and stamped her foot. Felix and I sneered at her.

I looked at Jasper and I immediately felt a strong sense of peace and tranquility engulfed the room. Alice's posture relaxed back into Jasper's chest but she was still pouting.

Feeling two gentle pushes against my shields barrier I pulled both shields back into myself and allowed Felix to stand behind the loveseat and Marcus relocated to sit next to me.

"I trust no one else in your family knows of Isabella?" Marcus sounded rather bored as he usually did in front of company; only a few guards did he rarely ever show emotion to, but opened up fully to me as I did to him.

"No sir, Jasper and I are the least likely to slip when blocking Edward, other than Carlisle of course."

Marcus nodded in reply. "How did you figure it out?"

Alice giggled and kept her full attention on Marcus. "When Jasper came back and told the family the cover story he merely said that it wasn't someone we knew very personally but someone we had met in passing. Of course I didn't buy it so I convinced him to come for a walk with me after everyone had hunted. I couldn't think of anyone we had met in the past 6 months or so that would have a likely hood of being changed and then I remembered the vision I had of Bella approximately 6 months ago and all my visions cleared instantly."

Again Marcus nodded and we fell into an awkward silence. I kept my eyes on a spot above Alice and Jasper's heads. Alice seemed to be regarding Marcus and I intently for no obvious reason to me. Casually looking over my shoulder at Felix I noticed he and Jasper were staring at each other. I felt a soft hand snake its way under the hem of my orange silk gypsy skirt and start rubbing my ankle comfortingly.

I looked back at Marcus and gave him a small smile, which he returned although he was looking straight ahead.

"You smell quite similar you know?" I returned my attention to a very confused Alice. Obviously she was directing the question at both Marcus and I but Marcus didn't seem inclined to answer.

"Marcus is my sire." I sighed and gave Jasper a curious look. He shrugged at me but I had a feeling this went beyond something that could be so easily overlooked. Before he started to stare intently at Marcus, probably tasting the emotions Marcus and I were emitting. After a moment a look of confusion and… irritation crossed Jasper's face that he didn't bother to hide even when Felix shifted so that his weight was distributed in favor of an attacking pose.

"Its stronger than that, Bella. The others only have a hint of Carlisle's venom smell to it but you smell an awful lot like cinnamon and even you, Marcus, have more than a hint of freesia in your scent… so different from this morning."

I frowned and looked between Alice and Jasper for an answer but when they failed to give me anything other than a bewildered stare I turned my gaze to Marcus who was still acting bored but thoughtful.

I lightly pinched the hand that was still rubbing my ankle to bring his attention back and he looked straight at Alice and answered immediately like I knew he would. He might be lost in thought but he wasn't completely unaware of his surroundings.

"Isabella and I shared a meal a few hours ago."

I smiled at the shock on both Alice and Jasper's faces at that piece of information. I still didn't understand the full implications of sharing a kill and to tell the truth I wasn't sure if I wanted to know them now. But I knew I couldn't continue in ignorance especially with the reactions Alice, Jasper and the guard had had. I knew I had to ask but I would ask Marcus later. I didn't want Alice clueing in on the fact that I didn't really know what I had gotten myself into.

I continued to smile coyly and squeezed Marcus's fingers tightly as the awkward silence went on for a few more moments and Jasper wasn't doing anything about.

"Wow…ummmm….okay. N-Not the answer I was expecting." Alice gave a nervous and rather forced giggle before letting her eyes roam over the room. Avoiding me like a human avoids the plague.

Come to think of it I had never heard Alice stutter let alone seen her nervous and avoiding making eye contact, hell she wasn't even bouncing anymore.

"What's wrong, Alice?"

She made eye contact with me for about a second before she looked away again.

"Nothing, Isabella. Alec's going to be looking for you soon."

I nodded silently and looked at Jasper but he too wasn't looking at me, but he was doing better than Alice. He was looking directly at Marcus with an expression of intense concentration again.

I didn't understand their quick change in demeanor, or the slight upset and somewhat hostile gleam that Jasper was currently sporting in his gold eyes and I certainly did not understand Alice's sudden want to be dismissed. She had been excited, as I had ever seen her a few minutes ago, now she was basically begging me to let her out of here. And that was something I was more than happy to allow for both her sake and mine.

"I should be going then, we don't want Felix to take another pass at the blood buffet do we, Felix?"

I snickered at him as he made his way to the door were Demetri was waiting to relieve Felix's guard of Marcus. I leaned over and kissed Marcus on the cheek before I stepped out into the hallway without another word.

Felix and I raced down to the ballroom in complete silence other than his feet hitting the stone rhythmically and my much lighter ones only making a noise every so often. I was the fastest among the Volturi which wasn't surprising due to my newborn strength but I was also the lightest on my feet which apparently made me so lethal during training and added to the list of reasons why I was rarely beaten and had never been hit during a termination.

When we arrived at the ballroom Alec was just leaving to look for me but upon seeing me he turned to go find what we needed to set up the donated blood that had arrived earlier today.

The next hour was spent physically shielding the blood as it was poured from the freezers it was delivered in to the specialized fountain/bowl thing that Chelsea found which circulated and heated the blood constantly. It wasn't so much that I needed to keep it from the other vampires that just like to drink for no reason, like Felix, when it was fresh from the freezers but once the blood warmed and the aroma started to permeate the castle and leak into the air vents the vampires came looking for the source of it.

Fortunately most of the vampires who came looking took one look at me and either knowing who I was or noticing that I was a new born with talent just walked away. But there was two or three that tried to get passed and in those cases my shield went from a light blue hue to a thick electric blue that I blew out so they flew back a couple of feet. Alec, Chelsea and Felix found it rather hilarious; Heidi of course just sulked in the corner since no one was paying any attention to her.

One of said vampires actually came back; standing a cautious two feet away from my shield, introduced himself as Garret a nomad from America, who had never seen the likes of my talent.

"Nice to meet you Garret, my name is Isabella. I'm sure you've heard rumors of me from other nomads such as yourself, I greeted a group this morning, though I believe they were from Eastern Europe."

He chuckled and folded his hands behind his back; in turn let my shield go back to a light blue haze so he could see me more clearly.

"I must admit I had heard a rumor of a newborn with unparalleled beauty living here from those very nomads, and even from the Egyptian coven that arrived late last night but I hadn't been told she was talented."

I giggled from my perch on the table at the compliment and noticed Felix trying to get as close as my shield would let him. Felix was the perfect example of the overly protective male stereotype, lucky for him I found it endearing rather than tiring - most of the time.

I started to reply but was interrupted by Aro and Renata entering the hall.

"Isabella. What are you still doing down here?" I let my shield drop, as Aro grew closer. It wasn't needed at the moment considering Garret and Felix didn't seem interested in the liquid buffet next to me and Renata still had her fingers attached to Aro's back, keeping her shield intact.

I was confused by his question; he knew why I was down here, because he had ordered it. My emotions must have shown on my face as Aro chuckled and caressed my cheek affectionately; Garret looked on inquisitively.

"It's almost half passed five sweetheart the ball starts in half an hour and you aren't dressed yet."

I raised my eyebrows and looked around the room to see that everything had been completed. Chelsea and Heidi had draped the black and red velvet curtains from the chandelier and connected them to the balcony banisters where another piece of black or red would drop to the floor in front of every second column. They had also wrapped two extremely long wreaths of red roses along the banister of the staircase where the brothers were to make their entrance. All in all Chelsea did an extremely good job, making it formal and elegant with the least amount of decorations, as Marcus liked things. Even Alec had finished and the now empty freezers were no longer in sight, he merely stayed for the show.

"Suppose I better go stick that dress on then shall I?" I smiled at Aro. Of course he had bought me a new dress for the occasion but the fact that I hadn't seen it yet was making me nervous.

"That would be appreciated, yes." He laughed and finally noticed Garret standing there. "It had been quite a few years since my brothers and I have seen you Garret, still a nomad I presume?"

And just like that Aro's attention was turned and I was free to get dressed.

Upon entering my room and immediately spying the garment bag and shoebox lying on the end of my bed, with another box I could only guess held jewelry in it sitting on my vanity. I decided I would curl my hair first and avoid what was sure to be a very expensive disaster. Not to say that I haven't liked the dresses Aro had bought me previously, they were all very nice and very expensive but the dresses themselves were extremely extravagant and not the type of dress I was comfortable in, though I have to say I was never really comfortable in dresses in the first place.

I used a minimum amount of makeup using only mascara, some dark eye shadow to give my eyes a smoky affect and some red lipstick. Whilst curling my hair I took into consideration the fact that the dress was probably over the top, so I kept it simple. Well-formed curls hung loosely down my back with a small side section pinned back with the diamond-encrusted hair comb Marcus gave me for tonight.

To say that I was nervous about opening the garment bag that was now in my hand would be the understatement of the century. The very brand name plastered over the front of the bag had me worried.

Alexander McQueen.

I didn't know a lot about fashion but I did know this was expensive and probably personally designed for me, straight from Milan.

Taking a deep breath I placed my hand on the zipper and…

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Isabella?"

I screamed in surprise at the sound of Marcus's voice and the door was flung open. I quickly pulled the bag in front of my half naked body, as Marcus stood there with Demetri right behind him with mouths wide open.

"Do you mind?" I squeaked hoping desperately that the bag was covering everything. "Marcus!" I snapped, seeming, as they hadn't heard me.

This time they responded by blinking furiously and retreating back to the door, Demetri slamming it shut.

"I'm sorry Isabella I had no idea I-"

"Don't worry about it Marcus, it was an accident just give me a minute to put this _thing_ on."

I heard him chuckle heartedly at my reference to the dress that I was now taking out of its bag. I was actually astonished that I liked this dress. It was, as expected a little exaggerated and attention seeking due to the color, but it was me, well it was the new me. The Bella from Forks would have hated it and refused to but the thing on but Isabella Volturi… well Isabella loved it. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline, with a fitted bodice that had bead and crystal work sown straight down the middle before it stopped just above the hips where a multi layered A-line black skirt continued to the floor.

I smiled at the feeling that over whelmed me. I couldn't wait to put it on no matter if I was one of the only female vampire wearing black tonight; the rest of the guard and most of the guests would be wearing red since it was the official color of St. Marcus day. I quickly removed the bra I was wearing and replaced it with a lacy strapless one that suited the neckline better and slipped on the dress, taking extra time and care sliding the zipper up my back all the way before I tore open the Jimmy Choo shoebox and strapping the black stilettos on my feet. Moving over to the wrapped box on my vanity I quickly tore that open too, since I could hear Marcus and Demetri shifting their feet impatiently. A pair of skin-tight black silk gloves and a diamond cuff bracelet lay delicately in the box before me with a note beside it.

Love Aro

Were the only words written on it. There was a light tapping on the door as I quickly pulled the gloves into place, they came to just above my elbows, and strapped on the bracelet whilst mumbling about men being impatient and not understanding that it takes time to look good before I headed to the door.

I gasped and stopped in my tracks as my eyes caught my reflection in the full-length mirror beside the bed. I had seen myself as beautiful and in many an elegant frock over the last few months but none compared to how I looked tonight.

The combination of the black dress with my red eyes and lipstick set off my creamy, pale skin and dark mahogany hair nicely whilst completing that other worldly beauty all vampires had but was accentuated with me.

I smiled to myself glad that I did look more beautiful than ever, which was sure to get a reaction out of many of the guest, including Rosalie and Tanya who were both very vain vampires. I was sure to piss one of them off tonight.

As I moved back to the door where Marcus and Demetri were still waiting I was also glad that my eyes were more vibrant in color due to excess feeding and the color of my deep red lipstick made my eyes all the more dazzling for the human drinking vampires and more disturbing for those like the Cullen's.

After the brief compliments and greetings with Demetri and Marcus who were both dressed in black suits. Marcus also wearing a black shirt and red silk tie, with his black shoulder length hair down and Demetri who wore a red silk shirt with the first three buttons undone, no jacket, and his long hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck.

We all made our way quickly down the halls toward the huge oak doors that led to the ball room where we found Aro, Caius, the wives, Jane, Felix and Alec all waiting for us.

I quickly apologized for making Marcus late sighting that it was my fault for not being dressed in time. Demetri, of course, smiled at this causing Aro to request his hand. Demetri quickly walked over to us as Aro shifted me to his side and freed his left hand.

It only took moments for Aro to find out and before long; he too, was chuckling along with Demetri. Marcus didn't seem to find his brother peaking into one of the most embarrassing things to happen to both of us, funny at all as he positioned himself before the oak doors, obviously impatient and moody.

"Oh don't look so upset brother, it was only an accident." Aro cooed in his usual jovial manner before he too took his position beside Sulpicia.

The guards and I positioned ourselves a few paces behind our masters. Demetri behind Marcus, myself between Marcus and Aro, Alec positioned himself beside me so that he stood behind Sulpicia, whilst Felix and Jane took up their respective positions behind Caius and Athenodora. And right on time, without a word spoken or sign given, the giant maple and gold doors were pulled open by two guards on the other side, giving way to the ballrooms grand staircase I had left not 30 minutes ago, empty, but was now crowded with hundreds of vampires. I was a little shocked, I had no idea that this many vampires existed yet were all gathered in the same place. But given the Volturi's reputation I highly doubted that this was the entire vampire race.

As the ancients stepped forward all eyes turned in their direction. We guards waited a few moments before moving in synch toward the staircase, stopping just far enough for the doors to close behind us.

I paid no heed to what Aro was saying and breathed deep, taking in all the sweet scents in the room and picking out the animal drinkers easily. Though I assumed they were all looking in this direction, the elite guards I was with were standing too far back to be seen by those not directly standing at the bottom of the stairs or those in the back of the huge room. The marble banisters and decorations were doing an excellent job of hiding us from the people standing on the left and right.

I still hadn't heard a single word of Aro's long-winded speech about why we were gathered and what it meant to him and his brother that they were here; when I saw Marcus's head move in my direction from the corner of my eye.

I turned my head to give him my full attention and was shocked to see that he was beckoning me forward. I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped open whilst shaking my head minutely and I distinctly heard Jane's small hiss.

Marcus smiled slyly and took a step in my direction. I was horrified that he was actually planning on not only having me up there with him, his brothers and their wives, but he was actually willing to physically come and get me and interrupt Aro's speech in the process. Which no doubt would have drawn a lot more attention than if I just slipped in beside him.

I saw him take another step and made a snap decision to quickly flit over to his side before Aro noticed his retreat as Sulpicia and Caius had already done.

I took an unnecessary breath and was at standing to his right within a second.

Though I stared straight ahead with a small smile and a hopefully calm expression on my face I still saw a majority of heads turn in my direction. Of course, Aro's curiosity got the best of him and he too took a look in the direction of their eyes, he smiled widely when he saw me and went back to his speech with a new kind of joy in his voice.

He didn't make it far however before there were a few gasps to my left and a whisper of my name from a silky voice I would know anywhere.


	7. Chapter 6: Reintroductions

**Chapter Six: Reintroductions**

**Bella POV**

I paid no attention to Edward's velvet voice; neither did any of the ancients surrounding me. I did, however feel Marcus's hand come to rest on my waist in clear view of the Cullens, since my own hands were clasped neatly in front of me. I smiled wider for Edward's benefit, but I wasn't sure I liked having Marcus blatantly touching me just to spite Edward. It felt like I was being claimed, like I was some piece of meat two alpha lions fought over.

Still, I didn't let my internal debate show and turned my body a few inches into Marcus's body as I heard the last of Aro's speech.

"Again I would like to thank you, my friends, for coming from all over the world to celebrate with us. Enjoy!"

A round of applause rose from the crowd as we made our way down the staircase, Marcus pulling me along with him and the other guards not far behind. Though all the Volturi vampires were now free to do as we wished, I knew Aro and Marcus had wanted me to keep close for a while so they could introduce me to some people. And also to wait with them until we approached the Cullens or they approached us. So I hung around Marcus as a coven stepped forward to greet us.

This coven was made up of three, two female and one male. The smallest female seemed to be almost as childlike as Jane but, with her red bouncing curls and contagious smile, I knew straight away that she wasn't as vile as Jane was.

The lone male in this coven was hard-faced and almost as physically imposing as Felix and Emmett. The other female, who appeared to be his mate, was a rather large woman but was still surprisingly graceful in her movements. She seemed to be kind hearted as well.

"Ah! Siobhan, my dear, it has been many a decade since we last met." Aro exclaimed, quickly clasping her hand between his papery ones.

"Indeed, Aro. It is wonderful to see you again, as well as your brothers." Siobhan said with a smile playing on her lips as Aro quickly retrieved her memories. She turned her attention to the other ancients and have them a brief but pleasant greeting. It seemed to me that she was rather strained in making in pleasantly greeting the wives, and I couldn't help but smile. "And who may I ask are you, my dear?"

Aro smiled joyfully and released Siobhan's hand, made his way to my side where he took my left hand as Marcus had my right.

"This, dear Siobhan, is Isabella. She is the newest member to our existence and to the Elite Guard."

I smiled and stepped forward to shake Siobhan's hand, obviously she was the leader of this coven.

"Nice to meet you, Siobhan."

"You too, Isabella. May I introduce my mate, Liam, and Maggie, our little lie detector."

I furrowed my brow as she introduced the little red headed girl. Did she mean that Maggie had a gift?

"I know what you're thinking, Isabella. Yes, she means I have a talent. I can tell when I'm being lied to, it's very useful." Maggie said easily as she saw the confusion on my face.

I smiled at Maggie. "Well, I'm a horrible liar. You won't have to worry about me too much on that front." I said as they all laughed along with me.

"Do you have a talent, Isabella?" Liam spoke quietly as he claimed Siobhan's hand. "I would assume that you do as it is obvious that you are Marcus and Aro's favourite."

A disgruntled hiss came from my right. Immediately knowing whom it was, I whipped my head in Jane's direction.

"If you don't like it little Janie, feel free to leave." I hissed and gestured toward the door we had just entered. She huffed in response and looked the other way.

I turned back to find shock written on Siobhan and Liam's faces, and Maggie trying to hide her fit of giggles.

"Obviously she does. Jane didn't even try inflicting pain on her!" She managed to choke out as her laughter grew.

"Indeed, Isabella does posses a gift." Marcus's quiet voice traveled the distance to the Irish coven easily as he held out his arm for me. I took it quickly and wrapped my arms around it, hugging him closely. "She is a shield."

"A shield? But different to Renata's, yes? Otherwise, you would not be standing before us."

"Yes, Siobhan I am very different and more powerful then Renata is. I have both a mental and physical shield which I can project a few meters out from myself."

"Interesting." Siobhan muttered processing and no doubt imagining what I was capable of.

A few more moments of chatter and I grew bored. I knew little of the topic and thought that my time would be spent better elsewhere. I promptly whispered an excuse to Marcus and walked away. I felt their eyes on my back as I heard Aro reply to a question I had somehow missed.

"Yes, Siobhan, she's like a daughter to me."

After a few steps, I quickly found myself swept into Demetri's strong, lean arms. I couldn't help but giggle like crazy when he lifted me up by my waist and spun me around. I didn't care who was looking.

"Marcus appeared to be having a great time showing you off back there." He said placing me back on my feet.

"He did, didn't he?" I mumbled back, disgruntled.

"Oh cheer up Isabella, you'll be getting your fun soon enough!" I furrowed my brow, confused by his statement. He would have seen my confusion I'm sure of it but he just took my hand and led me to the sweet, warm smell of blood that was permeating the air and poured me a goblet. Human blood as usual. I thanked him and waited till he had his own drink in hand before lifting an eyebrow expectantly.

Again he didn't answer only chuckled and pointed back in the direction I came from before taking a sip.

Warily, I followed the direction of his finger and was met with three pairs of golden eyes. The Cullens had approached the ancients. Edward, Emmett and Esme were staring at me. I smiled a little before lifting my blood filled cup in their direction and sculling its contents, licking the excess from my lips when I was done. Esme looked on sadly before Carlisle's arm wrapped around her shoulders, at which time she turned back to the conversation.

Edward and Emmett were still staring at me, looking pained. Though I had no idea as to what they should be so hurt about. I was the one they had left behind.

As I set my goblet back on the table, I realized that it was probably because I had made a show out of drinking human blood, purposefully setting myself apart from them.

"Aren't you going to go over there and reintroduce yourself?" I broke away from Edward's pained eyes and looked back into Demetri's red ones.

"Not just yet," I whispered and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek before I walked away again, still feeling Edward's eyes on my back.

I perused the crowd and watched a few people twirl gracefully around the dance floor, saying hello to those that had the guts to try and talk as I made my way around to the far wall. It was then that I ran into Garret.

"Why hello Isabella, nice to see you again." he said kissing my hand in an old, gentlemanly fashion.

"You too, Garret. Enjoying your self so far I hope?"

"Of course," he laughed and smiled brightly at me. "I actually just met a coven of animal drinkers from Alaska. Quite interesting, aren't they?"

My smile turned sour at the mention of the Denalis. "Interesting, yes, but I'd call their leader, Tanya, something else entirely. I had a run-in with her today… she's lucky to still be walking." His eyes grew wide with this information but I pressed on before he could ask questions. "You seem like a very outgoing nomad Garret. I can only guess that you asked about the color of their eyes and diet."

He laughed and nodded disbelievingly as he spoke. "Indeed I did. I can't quite understand how our kind can survive on animals alone, but I wouldn't be closed to trying their diet just to give it a go. I was actually just heading over to get a few glasses of animal blood for myself and Kate."

"Well, I wouldn't like to keep your friends waiting; I have business to attend with the other animal-drinking coven that I can no longer put off, I'm afraid." I stepped around him and headed back to where I could see the brothers still gathered at the bottom of the stairs. It appeared that Aro was searching for someone and if my assumption was correct, he was searching for me.

"Then I shall seek you out for a dance later tonight, Isabella." I threw a wide, dazzling smile over my shoulder before disappearing into the crowd, gracefully making my way through the dancing vampires and toward Aro, who had already spotted me.

"Ahhh! Here she is, my darling Isabella." Aro.

I smiled at him and allowed him to kiss my cheek closing my eyes so as not to make eye contact with any one of the Cullens.

A low whistle reached my ears and my eyes snapped open in response. It was Emmett, of course. He smiled widely at me, showing of those twin dimples that I used to love so much. But now I only managed to give him a small, unintentionally sad smile. I waited a moment longer for Rosalie to smack him on the head since he was obviously ogling me, but it never came. So I licked my lips slowly at him and his eyes bulged.

SMACK!

I smiled brighter this time and managed to choke down my laughter. I couldn't resist the happy wave of energy that naturally came off of Emmett and even though he had hurt me, apparently I still had a hard time not letting his antics get to me. I heard him start to whine to Rosalie and rolled my eyes before they settled on Carlisle.

We stared at each other for what could have been minutes. In those few moments I really had to stomp down the urge to throw myself into his fatherly arms and breathe in his warm, familiar scent.

Aro brought me back to reality and away from my irrational urges by touching my gloved elbow lightly, caressing it.

"Isabella, dearest, why don't you greet our guests? They are old friends, after all." Aro trilled in my ear.

I shook my head a little to get some clarity and get my head back in the game before meeting Carlisle's gaze again.

"Of course, Aro. How could I forget my first coven?" I smiled wickedly, deliberately putting emphasis on the 'coven' part as I glided forward, keeping eye contact with Carlisle the whole time and beating back the irrational urge once again.

I came to a halt in front of him and thrust my hand between us. I waited for him to shake my hand in turn, but all he could do was stare at me with what seemed to be a million questions in his eyes.

I giggled lightly and covered my mouth with the hand I had been holding out whilst placing my other hand on my hip and jutting it out to one side.

"I must say, I've never seen Carlisle speechless before. Have you Aro?" I turned my face back to the brothers who stood watching, all with amused expressions, even Caius as hard as that is to believe.

"No my dear, I can't say that I have." Aro laughed quietly while watching Carlisle's face as Carlisle in turn studied and noted each of my movements.

Marcus floated forward silently to place a hand on Carlisle's shoulder. That small, gentle touch seemed to have brought Carlisle back to the present situation as his eyes snapped out of his calculating gaze and looked at Marcus for a moment before turning back to me.

He took a deep breath before gently wrapping his arms around my shoulders, pulling me to his chest. "I'm sorry Bella, seeing you again…it's just a shock that's all."

I laughed darkly and extricated myself from his arms, which wasn't hard since he had noticed my lack of response to his embrace.

"It's Isabella, not Bella. I haven't been that girl for a while now, almost a year and half to be exact."

He frowned a little and cocked his head to the side, reading my eyes before nodding stiffly.

I looked to his right and found myself staring into Esme's butterscotch eyes. Her eyes were harder to look at then Carlisle's. They were full of love and adoration, sadness and worry. Though my emotions waged war inside of me I kept my face perfectly blank with only the hint of a smile playing on my lips.

"Hello, Esme."

I saw her eyes started to swim with unshed tears less then a second before she started to open her mouth to reply. I couldn't take it so I looked away, cutting her off, and began to greet the rest of the Cullens. Though this time I retreated a step in order to speak to them collectively and therefore avoiding any unwanted contact between Edward and myself.

Incidentally, I stepped back and bumped into Marcus who wrapped an arm around my waist instinctively. I drew courage from knowing that he was there, making my smile more genuine.

"Of course, it's nice to see the rest of you as well, Alice, Jasper, Edward, Emmett and Rosalie." I managed to slip his name in there casually and without any of the anger or hatred seeping into it for which I was eternally grateful. "I also see you girls are sticking with the official color of St. Marcus Day." I smirked, taking in Rosalie's dark red strapless, floor length dress that hugged her every curve until the top of her thighs from which it flared out dramatically. It was also fitted with rhinestone jewels in various places around the bust and waist.

Alice had gone for a red satin bubble dress that came down to mid thigh, with a black ribbon around her hips. She really did look a lot like a pixie.

Esme, had gone for a simple yet elegant one shouldered, burgundy, floor length dress that was gently pleated from the waist down and made of the softest looking silk. Of course, they all looked stunning.

"Of course, and I see you haven't." Rosalie's voice was ice cold and dripping with malice, it didn't surprise me.

"Yes well, Aro and Marcus had it specially made for me." I replied just as coldly as we stared each other down. She refused to look away, as did I. After a few moments it seemed to hit her that I wasn't backing down from the silent challenge, one side of her mouth curled up before she looked at Edward who stood on her left.

I smiled and decided I had had enough of this. It was boring, painful and I didn't want to have a full-blown confrontation with any of the Cullens. I just wanted to say goodbye and that be that. It was a party after all, and I needed to have some fun.

"If you would all excuse me, I have some dancing to do." I nodded in Aro's direction politely, Marcus dropped his arm and I stepped away.

I made it three steps before a warm hand gripped my wrist, sending shockwaves of electricity through my system. My mouth filled with venom as my hate for the man that was touching me overcame everything else, and I resisted the urge to bite him or ripe off an appendage.

"Not the best idea you have ever had,, Edward Cullen." I snarled and turned my head sharply to face him.

He gasped at the sight of my eyes, they had gone black from the emotions that filled me to boiling point and I could only imagine what he read in them.

Someone cleared their throat behind me and I immediately knew who it was. I smiled as Edward let go of my wrist and focused on Felix's hulking form beside me.

"Come on Isabella, you know it's not a party until you join in the fun…well make the fun anyway." Felix snickered, stepping between myself and Edward and bowing low before holding out his hand. I giggled as I curtsied prettily, continuing to laugh gently as he led me to the middle of the floor.

"Please tell me you have something fun or troublesome planned? You know how such formal gatherings bore me." Felix grumbled in my ear as we glided across the floor in perfect sync. Felix was what Demetri liked to call my 'dancing dummy' during my lessons and so Felix and I were very attuned to each other's movements.

"Well, I have had my little bit of fun tonight but I am willing to step it up a bit, see if I can get some tempers flared." He only smiled and waved his hand in a gesture to continue. Unfortunately, what I had in mind didn't involve Felix so I quickly slipped off the dance floor in search of Chelsea.

I found her filling her crystal goblet by the 'refreshment' table and quickly plucked it out of her hands before it got to her lips.

"Hey!" She cried, turning and gently hitting my shoulder. "What the hell, Isabella?"

"Oh I am dreadfully sorry to inconvenience you Chelsea," I teased, electing a bell like laugh from her. "But I am in need of your vocal chords. Unfortunately , Heidi's will not do at all."

She raised an eyebrow at me but gave me her hand as I led her through the crowd. Halfway to the stage, she suddenly pulled me to a stop and squeezed my hand in alarm.

I quickly turned to her and followed her gaze and was confronted with Edward standing within reaching distance of her. She looked at him, puzzled and intrigued, until she saw the way his eyes never left me and gasped.

"Is this the boytoy that left you?"

"Yes." I snapped at her though my eyes never left his. "Come on Chelsea, let's not waste any more of our time with the likes of Mr. Cullen." I pulled her along at an inhuman speed without waiting for an answer and we were climbing the steps of the stage only seconds later.

"Santiago, can I request something?" I asked sweetly as I made my way toward the piano where he sat. He looked up at me and smiled nervously before nodding.

"Thank you. Can you tell the band to play _Once upon a December_, Chelsea will be singing." He nodded and quickly scurried off to inform the rest of the band, whilst I pushed a mic into Chelsea's hand and started to walk off.

"Oh no you don't!" She whispered grabbing my hand once again and pulling me back. "I don't know the lyrics to this song." I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. She was baiting me. I knew this because I had heard her sing it many a time. She huffed and started pleading as the music began to play. "Okay so I do know it but this is your song, and Aro loves it when you sing," I shook my head but that didn't deter her. "Just one verse, please?"

I pursed my lips and she held the mic rather close to my mouth, and I began to sing despite myself.

_Dancing bears,_

_Painted wings,_

_Things I almost remember,_

_And a song someone sings once upon a December. _

Chelsea's voice joined mine on the word december and finally let go of my hand. I continued to sing along with her as I left the stage and navigated my way through the crowd, whose attention was split between my own voice and Chelsea's slightly deeper one, toward the Ancients who still stood with the Cullens.

_Someone holds me safe and warm,_

_Horses prance through a silver storm,_

_Figures dancing gracefully,_

_Across my memories,_

Having known this song very well from my countless playing, Marcus was at my side the second the instrumental started. He quickly but gently pulled me into a waltzing position and onto the floor without missing a beat. We began to spin around the room, and got lost in our own world.

Chelsea was now singing wordlessly along with the melody. Her voice accompanying the swelling of the string instruments perfectly like I knew it would.

I had never danced with Marcus like this before, and the fact that we were so in sync, move for move, step for step, was not lost on me. When he let one hand fall from my waist I knew he wanted to spin me, so I let him. When he set both his hands on the material covering my hips I placed my own hands on his shoulders so he could lift me quickly before placing me back on my own feet and begin spinning me around the dance floor again. Marcus and I never lost eye contact throughout all our movement but I was faintly aware that we were the center of attention and could hear Chelsea as she began to sing again, this time on her own.

_Someone holds me safe and warm,_

_Horses prance through a silver storm,_

_Figures dancing gracefully,_

_Across my memories,_

_Far away, long ago, _

_Glowing dim as an ember,_

_Things my heart used to know,_

_Things it yearns to remember,_

_And a song someone sings,_

_Once upon a December._

When the last note played out, Marcus and I were standing so close that my chest was pressed against his with one of his hands on my lower back, essentially pinning me there. His other hand however brought my own up and laid it against his chest, right where his now silent heart lay.

I was breathing heavier than I should, or needed, to have been and I couldn't think of what to say or even how to break out of this trance I was in until the assembly around us broke out into applause and jolted us both back to awareness.

I looked around and smiled at everyone, noting that the Cullens, Denalis and Marcus's brothers were all standing closest to us. The Cullens, with the exception of Edward, were all applauding but were doing so rather numb with disbelief. Understandable of course, considering that I used to hate being the centre of attention and the last and only time they had seen me dance was at prom on Edward's feet. I also saw that Tanya was hugging Edward's arm to her body and was seriously trying to get his attention though it was clearly placed elsewhere.

Ignoring them for now, I turned back to Marcus and leaned up on my toes, kissing the corner of his mouth.

"Happy Saint Marcus day." I whispered just loud enough for him to hear as he reached up and replaced a stray hair that escaped my side clip.

"It is one of the best I have had in a long time, thanks to you, _Tesoro_."

We continued to stare at each other, both of us at a loss as to what to do and say, though I was faintly aware that the crowd around us had resumed dancing and gossiping about who knows what. Marcus squeezed my fingers before lightly threading them through my own and leaned down to me ever so slightly.

I gripped his shoulder tighter since my body was currently unable to move and stared into his eyes, looking for an answer to his behavior. There was something there, I could see that clearly in the way they seemed to smolder and shine, but I was unable to place it. It looked familiar but my brain wouldn't function. His scent was surrounding me, where our fingers were intertwined they tingled and burned all the way up my arm yet all I could concentrate on was how he was getting impossibly closer.

"Mind if I cut in?"

Marcus and I both jumped at the intrusion and my body was finally able to move away. I let go of Marcus's shoulder as he relaxed his tight hold on my waist, allowing me to put some sort of distance between us but not enough to stop the tingled in my arm and fingers where we were still attached.

I looked to the left to find Carlisle standing there, holding his hand out toward me. I frowned at his outstretched hand, unsure of what to do. I looked up at Marcus but he was only looking at me, his eyes asking if dancing with Carlisle was a good idea. Was it? I wasn't entirely sure. On the one hand it would be rude to deny him a single dance and walk in the other direction with one of his oldest friends, but considering the urge I had to run to him and throw my arms around him, I wasn't sure if being courteous was a good idea.

"Come now Isabella, it's only a dance." Carlisle reasoned. I sighed and looked up into his eyes.

He was so honest and his emotions completely unrestrained in his eyes that my body acted of its own accord, freeing my fingers from Marcus's and placing my hand in Carlisle, numbly letting him pull me into his arms.

Just before Carlisle pulled me out into the twirling couples, Marcus stopped us with a hand on my hip and a kiss to my temple. I looked up at him, confused and angry that he had yet again felt the need to 'mark his territory' but he wasn't looking at me. He was staring intently at Carlisle, who in turn was staring back at him and seemed to understand what Marcus couldn't - or wouldn't - put into words. After a few moments like this, Carlisle sighed and nodded his head, pulling me into the crowd without another word.

Carlisle and I danced in uncomfortable silence. We passed Esme and the others twice, which only made me look away from everyone and pretend they weren't there.

"Immortality suits you." My head snapped up to met Carlisle's eyes but his eyes were on the figures of Demetri and Felix, who stood on the edge of the crowd watching our progress.

"Thank you Carlisle, but it's not the first time I've been told." He nodded in understanding as he returned his eyes to mine and we fell back into an awkward silence.

"I'm so sorry." I frowned at him. I wasn't expecting an apology from him or any of the Cullens for that matter. An apology from Edward would have been nice, but I knew him well enough not to expect anything of the sort.

"I'm sorry for everything my s-" I shook my head vigorously as I realized where his apology was going. And then I got angry.

"Don't. Apologize. For him." I hissed through gritted teeth and Carlisle recoiled slightly. "What he did and said is for him to apologize for, if he feels the need too, but I will not listen to you apologizing for the golden boy. You and every other member of your family should only be sorry for leaving me without a word of explanation, not for the words and actions of your son. That was his choice. That was what broke me completely. You hurt Carlisle, Esme hurt, Alice hurt but what he said to me, what he made me think for all those months we were together, was unforgiveable."

Carlisle looked like he wanted to protest, to apologize some more but wisely kept his mouth shut and looked over my shoulder where I knew his family stood.

I sighed, suddenly feeling emotionally exhausted from the events of the day and gingerly laid my head on Carlisle's shoulder, closing my eyes and breathing in his scent. Carlisle hesitantly lowered his head and rested his chin on my hair, careful not to upset me or ruin my hair.

At this point, I was overly conscious of the fact that I was showing far too much compassion and emotion than was desired, but right then I didn't care and completely forgot about the looks I was probably getting from Aro and Marcus, no doubt from a few others as well. I was far too exhausted from being so angry with him and my brain was in overload with Edward's mere presence as I was always checking to know where he was in order to avoid him.

"What happened, Isabella?" Carlisle whispered into my hair.

I shook my head but didn't remove it from his shoulder as he lead me confidently around the dance floor as the next song started. "Not now Carlisle, not when your son is so close by," I paused and pulled back just enough to meet his eyes before I continued. "And certainly not when he's looking at me through your thoughts."

Carlisle sighed but nodded, not willing to press the matter after the glare I had just given him and his prodigal son. His sigh however turned to a chuckle when a low hiss reached our ears.

I smiled weakly and pulled back and gathered my thoughts before I completely separated myself from Carlisle's arms. He stopped abruptly, giving me a questioning look.

"I'm showing far more then I bargained for tonight, I should stop here before I get carried away." I bowed my head and Carlisle bowed in return, confusion still written all over his face.

I turned to walk away but came face-to-face with the rest of the Cullens. I hadn't actually become aware of how close our last turn about the dance floor had taken us and wished I paid more attention. Esme and Emmett obviously wanted me to come over and talk, Edward and Alice I ignored. My eyes met theirs for only a second before I smirked and walked closer to them, turning left when I was within 6 feet of Emmett who had started smiling at me.

I walked past without a word, without looking back and didn't stop walking until I was safely back in Marcus's arms, my mask perfectly in place and socializing again.


	8. Chapter 7: Termination and Realisation

**Bella POV**

The rest of the night passed rather uneventfully. I was introduced to many covens and danced with a lot of people; none from the Cullen's coven, of course, but there were plenty of others.

One male stood out from the rest, Benjamin from the Egyptian coven - mated of course, but that wasn't on my mind at all. He'd make a good friend. He was open, honest, funny, and always making idle threats to Amun about leaving the coven if he said another bad word against the others in the room. Benjamin was a valuable 'tool' to Amun since Benjamin posses the talent of controlling the elements. Earth, air, fire, and water – he could do almost anything with them and was forever summoning water from the outside fountains to make shapes with it when he got bored. If you asked me, Benjamin was a more suitable leader than Amun, but you can't lead your creator I guess.

The room was starting to thin out now, and I was once again encased in Marcus's comforting arms as Carlisle, Esme and Edward stood in front of us talking to Aro and Caius. The rest of their family was off talking to the Amazons and the Denalis.

I ignored the conversation, instead choosing to play with Marcus' fingers and trace the empty veins in his hands as they lay on my stomach while he stood behind me.

Edward stood on the periphery of my vision and had been staring at me most of the night, but as a frown marred his face, he looked away for the first time in what must have been minutes. He seemed to be listening for something, but I didn't know what since everything sounded fine. I could hear nothing but the dying music and the light footsteps of retreating vampires, so I had to assume he was listening to someone's thoughts. Suddenly his head snapped to the doors where a number of people were exiting and growled, low and menacing. The hostile action instantly put everyone on high alert and six guards swarmed around the brothers and their wives, including me, while the Cullens and the Denalis congregated just in front of us, Edward standing at point and still growling.

Alice's face went blank before she joined Edward at point too, Jasper close behind.

"Alice, what is it?" Carlisle sounded worried and pushed Esme behind him, unknowingly putting her within my reach. I grabbed her hand and pulled her behind me as I broke from Marcus' arms, though he let go reluctantly. Esme looked at me with confusion. It was also the first time I had touched her, and she looked slightly shocked by the contact, she nodded her head before I walked toward Alice, Edward and Jasper. This was my home, and if there was an unwelcome intruder I would deal with it.

"Alice, who?"

"Victoria." Alice and Edward said in unison just has a bush of shocking red hair and a dirty fur coat came through the doors.

I felt the Volturi Guards relax slightly, knowing that it was a lone vampire in the midst of well over a hundred other loyal vampires, all of which would be willing to help if need be. But I didn't relax; I couldn't. My muscles tightened, my jaw clenched and my hands flexed themselves of their own accord. My spine tingled and shivered at the sight of her, my lips curled back and a loud shocking snarl made its way past my lips as she drew closer. Everyone but Edward looked at me, surprised by the feral and purely animalistic sound that was escaping my small form.

"Sorry I'm late, hope I didn't interrupt anything." Victoria's high-pitched, childlike voice rang through the hall as the crowd of vampires that had been leaving moments ago made their way back in to watch.

"What is your business here, nomad?" Caius asked. Normally a nomad would have been welcome within the walls as long as they hadn't broken any laws. But given the circumstances and what Aro had no doubt retrieved from the Cullens' memories, a hospitable greeting was not something she was getting.

"I merely came for the party, but found more than I bargained for." She smiled at me as her eyes roved over my hostile form, her eyes flickered left. I too looked, willing to let down my guard because being a newborn meant that I would be able to react faster and resist any attack posed against me.

My eyes landed on Edward. I hadn't realized how close I had come to stand beside him. He was literally a hair's-breath away; if I moved my hand more than an inch, I would be touching him. I chose to ignore him for now, though I was still very aware of his every breath and movement, and turned to find Laurent.

"You said she was hunting me. Why?"

Edward answered instead. "I killed her mate, so she wishes to kill mine. To give me the same pain I caused her."

"Well then, it's a good thing I'm not your mate, isn't it?" I scoffed, he flinched and she screamed.

"WHAT?" I turned back to Victoria, her eyes flitting from vampire to vampire like they had in the clearing all those years ago. "NO! You...you have to...he...you.... you were mated when you were human you were with him."

"He left." Again, Edward flinched.

"WHAT? You left her? After you killed James, you left her? You killed him for nothing-"

This time it was Edward's turn to growl viciously. "Not nothing - to keep her alive, to keep her safe. I left to keep her from monsters like you and me." I rolled my eyes. Asshole.

"Well, that worked, didn't it?" I sneered, crossing my arms over my chest.

A wordless scream escaped Victoria's lips, and she flew at Edward, her hands clawed and teeth bared. Before I could even think of how to react Edward pushed me back and flung himself at Victoria. They came together with a loud crash, like thunder, and ferocious snarls echoed throughout the whole castle.

Emmett caught me before I could collide with the wall, but after he placed my feet back on the floor, he didn't let me go. I struggled against him, and like Felix, he was pulled a foot forward by my strength. He muffled a curse and pulled me back as I watched Edward and Victoria exchanging blows in quick succession.

"Alec!" I yelled in frustration, and turned my head to look at him through my coal black eyes.

Alec nodded and a few moments later Emmett's arms fell to his sides and his eyes went blank; he was paralyzed.

I loved Alec's gift sometimes. He was just as conniving and evil as his sister most times, but his power came in handy quite often.

I ran straight for Victoria and smacked her in the chest for all I was worth as she and Edward broke away from each other. She sailed through the gathered vampires who quickly parted so as not to be an obstacle. She slammed into the wall, causing the ancient tiles to crack beneath her weight. As I approached her I removed my diamond bracelet and dropped it to the floor, before viciously ripping my gloves from my arms and tossing them into a corner. The vampires that had previously moved to get out of the harm Victoria's flying body posed now did the same with me, giving me a wide berth whilst blocking any means of escape at the same time.

I felt more than heard Edward following me, so I pushed my entire physical shield out of myself and placed it around Edward, trapping him and effectively stopping him from moving more then a foot in any direction.

I had never before pushed either of my shields out from myself so completely, and the action was causing some strain on my brain. But I ignored it as best I could, pushing it into the far recesses of my mind and focusing on Victoria who was now pushing herself up off the floor.

Her eyes were frantically looking in every direction trying to find an escape, but there wasn't one and she knew it. I was too fast, too strong and too talented for her to win, and if she tried to run, she wouldn't make it more then a few meters in any direction.

"Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, Victoria; you'll be joining James soon enough." Her eyes widened in fear, and she made a break for it. Many vampires reached for her, but I told them to stop. I caught her before she had made it halfway across the space between her and her exit.

I released Edward from his cage and let my shields settle around myself and the odious creature in my hands. Victoria's eyes widened again as she took in my shield, struggling uselessly to get her wrist out of my vice-like grip.

My shield was pulsing bloody red again, much like it did with Tanya, but this was different...this was electric. It pulsed and shivered; as the red haze grew so thick I could barely see anything on the outside of it. There were even numerous black lightening bolts that were making an appearance every now and again, growing more frequent every second. Victoria started to beg.

"No, no, please. I swear I'll never come back; I'll never harm another Cullen. Please just let me go, and you'll never see me again."

I looked back to where Aro's hazy figure stood. He nodded and flicked his fingers, the kill signal.

"You're right, Victoria. I will never see you again… nor will anyone else."

"NOOOOO!!!!"

I grasped her shoulder and yanked on her wrist, hard. Hard enough to part the two, she screamed even louder as she watched her arm being tossed to the floor like the piece of trash it was. Quickly and efficiently like I had done so many times before, I moved onto her other limbs and saved her head for last. The second it had parted ways with her torso; I dropped my shield and turned to Caius holding out my hand expectantly.

He removed a small, metal sphere from his jacket pocket and tossed it to me. I dumped her head onto the pile that had been built from every finger, every toe and every limb that had made up Victoria and squeezed the metal sphere. A long, hot, spout of fire was released, and her body went up in flames, purpled smoke rising into the air.

Demetri and Alec quickly scaled the walls and opened a number of tiny vents at the top, letting the smoke billow out into the night sky rather then gather and stink out the whole room.

The room was silent as I walked back to Caius, picking up my discarded bracelet along the way, and handed him the sphere. Everywhere I looked I was met with shocked, concerned and curious faces, so I kept walking up the stairs with the intent of going back to my room for the rest of the night.

"Isabella?" I stopped mid-stride at Carlisle's call and turned my head back toward him. From what I could see over my shoulder everyone was still standing there, watching me like I was going to explode or breakdown or just decide to kill them all, which I could very well do.

I knew he wanted answers. He wanted to know what happened to me, how I got here, how I was changed, why I was so blasé about killing my own kind and why I would willingly kill humans. I was sure Aro would have already told his old friend most, if not all, about what had happened, but he wanted to hear if from me… in detail. Carlisle hadn't been satisfied with Aro's version since he only had a second-hand account of what happened in the past, seeing as Aro had no access to my thoughts and probably would have done more boasting than actual story telling.

Carlisle was different though; he was once a sort of father figure to me, and I was sure he and Esme saw me as their daughter to a certain point. Obviously they didn't love me as much as they loved their eldest son, since they had clearly left me to fend for myself and taken him with them. But why wouldn't they choose him? He was a vampire, an immortal like them, whilst at the time I was only human and an unremarkable one at that. Completely flawed and plain in every way compared to their favorite son.

I sighed; I would have preferred to do this at another time, but the sooner it was over and done with the sooner they would leave. I was about to tell Carlisle to follow me until Esme moved, latching onto Carlisle's arm for all she was worth. She looked distraught, and I would only make it worse if I told her my story. The heartbreak, the pain, the new beginning… she would have to wait. They all would. I walked away for the second time in one night without a word.

Once I was locked back in my room, hidden behind my heavy oak doors, I quickly turned on my stereo system, grabbed a random book and hunkered down for the rest of the night and most of the next day. The only times I left my room was when I was requested to oversee the interrogation of a talented vampire before retreating once again. I wasn't in the mood for socializing, and the brothers were busy entertaining guests, giving out orders of prosecution or debriefing the lower level guards who were coming in from the countryside. Demetri and Felix had no time for me as they were needed elsewhere.

As I sat alone in my room, the events of last night kept playing over and over in my mind. I couldn't help but replay them again. I couldn't believe Victoria had been hunting me for years – ever since Edward killed her mate, James – and hadn't found me in Italy sooner. It was obvious that she wasn't a good tracker like James, but surely she couldn't have been that stupid. I knew there had been rumors of my existence for months before they were all confirmed tonight, and I would have thought she would have connected the dots instead of following the Cullens.

I briefly wondered if there was something keeping her from getting me in the months that I spent in Forks comatose, but I pushed that out of my mind. The Cullens were the only supernatural things in Forks that could keep a vampire at bay.

I had been trying, in vain, most of the day to figure out why Edward had thrown me out of the way and attacked Victoria himself. I knew she had meant to attack him since I was no longer a valid option for revenge, but that was still not an excuse to throw me, bodily, out of the way like he did when Jasper attacked me.

By the afternoon I still hadn't figured it out and now I was just mad.

How dare he try to protect me! I wasn't his to protect! I didn't even need protecting anymore. I wasn't a frail human; I was physically his equal in every sense of the word. I was hard like marble, fast, strong, beautiful… a predator. He still didn't see me like that. he still saw the poor, clumsy, human girl who had been his latest distraction.

Distraction. I hated that word, but that was all I was to him. Now that I was immortal, I could understand the need for a distraction, but I never would have thought Edward shallow enough to actually make someone fall in love with him just for his own amusement. But here I was, living proof that he was just that shallow.

Ha! And Carlisle and Esme thought so highly of him. Really the whole family thought he was some type of freaking god… well, except for Rosalie. At least she saw him for who he really was.

Oh. My. God. I was actually agreeing with Rosalie, something was wrong with me. Or maybe I was just becoming more like her. Developing a colder personality, pushing everyone away and keeping them from seeing the real me. But where was my Emmett? Where was the person that I opened up to and let in? The person who saw me for me, accepted everything about me, every flaw, every mood swing and every temper tantrum. The person who would do anything and everything for me. The one who would leave me be if I wanted him too, the one who would sit with me in comfortable silence whilst I was working through my thoughts and would always be there. He would never leave, always and forever by my side and I by his.

I heard my door open, but I didn't bother to look who it was. If I ignored them long enough they would leave; they always did. I heard my name being called but I was too lost to recognize the voice. I was too lost to recognize the scent as they came closer and lowered themselves onto the floor next to me as I sat on my burgundy chaise near the balcony doors in the afternoon sun.

Still, I ignored them and went back to my wanderings. I needed a mate; I knew that and so did Aro. I wasn't one of those vampires that could be alone or take a new companion to bed every other night for the rest of my existence. But could I just pick a person I loved but not completely? Could I bind myself to that person for eternity and have them know that they simply filled the gap in my heart but didn't complete it?

Once again I was brought back from my thoughts but not by what I expected. I expected to hear the door close again or for the person to call my name until I got annoyed enough to respond. Instead a warm, soft hand gripped my fingers and pulled my hand from my lap, kissing my knuckles lightly before simply holding it, willing to wait until I was ready to come back to reality, willing to wait…for me.

I blinked, turning my head toward the one person who seemed willing to stay with me. I followed the length of my arm and stopped when I saw the fingers of a man caressing mine, his skin, though pale, was darker than mine. My gaze traced the features of his large hands, up his lean, muscular arm until our eyes locked.

"Demetri."

He smiled. "Hey baby girl, where did you go?"

I shrugged; I didn't know what I was supposed to say. Tell him that I was trying to figure out if I should just choose a mate and get over it or tell him that I had been obsessing almost all day over Edward's behavior last night.

Again, he smiled and lifted his free hand to tuck a piece of stray hair behind my ear. He pulled away once it was in place, but I caught it and kissed his palm impulsively. It felt… comfortable. I was surprised that it didn't feel forced or cold or empty, just natural. Demetri froze, obviously surprised by my actions, but he didn't pull away, I hoped that meant it felt right for him too.

"Come here?" I asked softly as I pulled his hands gently, giving him the opportunity to pull away and leave. He didn't. He stood slowly; I moved my feet so he could sit closer to me, again giving him an option. He sat as close as he could get without actually being on my lap and pulled my legs back over his, rubbing up and down my calves through the denim of my skinny leg jeans.

I sighed contentedly and grabbed his free hand. "Can we talk?"

"Sure, you know you can tell me anything." I could tell he was being truthful, and I knew full well that I could tell him anything and he wouldn't pass it on and blab like most of the others would. But I could hear the concern leaking into his voice. He really shouldn't worry about me so much, but I'm glad he did.

"You know parts of my past right?" He nodded, the concern growing in his eyes; it had never been a good topic of conversation in the past for us. Demetri hated Edward for what he did to me. He didn't understand how he could just leave me like he did, unprotected, letting me feel like I was unloved and unwanted. "So, you know I'm broken and haven't really been myself for awhile. What I'm wondering is if you think I can move on? Move past all the stuff that happened with Edward…and find someone else."

He nodded slowly as he thought about it, picking the right words and the best way to say how he felt.

"Look, Isabella, I know you're capable of a great many things. And I'm not talking about how you can take on five guards at a time and come out of it with barely a scratch, or how you can outrun anyone and anything you come up against. I'm not even talking about what you're capable of with your shield. I'm talking about your heart and soul. You would have to be the strongest woman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting to go through something like you did. To have the will to hope after you were left in the dark, to have the will to change your life, turn it around and become someone you never thought possible. I also know that you are capable of great love. Not just for a lover or a mate, but you have the capacity to irrevocably love anyone who comes along, whether that be as a friend, a companion, even family." He paused and shifted my body so that I was situated in his lap, my face securely between his hands, forcing me to meet his intense gaze that he knew I wanted to look away from. When he got this intense during our conversations I was scared, scared that he was right, that he would say something I wouldn't or couldn't comprehend, but now, now was different. I didn't want to look away, I wanted to know what he thought, if he believed me capable of moving forward. I needed to know if I was capable of leaving Edward behind.

"You have the ability to love romantically again, Isabella. You just…you have to find the right man. The one that will accept you and everything that comes with you. Would accept that he wasn't your first choice but accepted you anyway because he loves you too much to be without you. A man who will look past all the hurt and pain, find the real you in there and then take the pain and suffering you have experienced as his own. You are capable, Isabella; you just have to believe that you can."

I sniffed, bringing my hand up to caress and trace his cheek as he did the same with me.

He was right, of course; it wasn't a question of whether I could do it, it was a matter of believing that I could. I traced his bottom lip lightly with my fingertips; they were soft and inviting. I wanted to kiss him, but I was afraid that this would feel like Felix did last night: awkward, wrong and insistent. His tongue flicked out instinctively, wetting his lips with his venom. I sighed and dropped my hand to his chest, fingering the clasp of his cloak. My eyes followed their trail until Demetri's fingers moved under my chin and gently brought my head up.

I saw it then; the love, the longing, the complete devotion was laid out before me in his burgundy eyes, and it was for me. He inched closer, never breaking my gaze, checking to see if this is okay, if this was what I wanted. I nodded minutely, still not knowing if this was a good idea, and his face broke out in the most dazzling smile that I had seen to date.

He was mere centimeters away now; the anxiety was killing me, clenching my stomach tight with anticipation. I swallowed nervously and my eyes fluttered closed. I could feel his cool, cinnamon breath brushing over my face. I waited to taste it, to taste him and see if he tasted just as good as he smelled, like apple and cinnamon. I waited to see if he was the one I could move on with… but I never found out because Felix came bursting though the door.

Demetri and I pulled away from each other, but there was nothing to be done about my position in his lap and the way one of his hands was on my neck, the other wound around my waist possessively.

Felix stopped short when he saw us; he quickly examined the scene, noted where Demetri's hands were and how my own were positioned on his chest. He looked hurt and shocked for about a second before he covered it, announcing that Marcus wanted to see me in his study.

I couldn't respond beyond a quick nod and ran into my closet to get some shoes; bright yellow, Prada, peep toe heels. I walked back out of the closet and found myself in the middle of a silent war zone. Felix was still by the door, arms crossed, his eyes sending nothing but daggers in Demetri's direction. Demetri was glaring right back at him from where he was still seated on the chaise.

"I guess I'll talk to you both later then." My words sounded force, which they were, but I was seriously trying to ignore the tension in the room. I failed miserably.

They remained silent as I made my way to the door; the only noise was my breathing and the sound of my heels against the black marble of my room. I slipped past Felix without a word and quickened my pace as I walked down the hall, feeling his eyes on my back all the while. I refused to look back. I refused to see the anger there, or the hate that was no doubt also present. Understandably present, but I didn't want to see it anyway.

Five doors down, and I was twisting the brass handles of Marcus' study. Inside I found Marcus seated behind his desk with Eleazar and his mate, Carmen, sitting in front of him. Carlisle and Esme were also present, sitting on the love seat I had been sitting on yesterday. They all smiled at me as I walked in. I smiled back politely, hesitating before walking over to Marcus, kissing his cheek and sitting on the armrest of his chair, where I usually sat.

Our guests were still smiling at us, though Carlisle and Esme's seemed to be more forced than before. I was too confused to smile back even a little. I knew why Carlisle and Esme were here; they wanted answers like Carlisle wanted yesterday. Carmen and Eleazar on the other hand, I had no idea about.

I looked at Eleazar, first deciding to get their business out of the way before the Carlisle and Esme's. My eyes flitted between Eleazar and his mate, all my curiosity displayed in my eyes, and I forced myself to smile despite the uncomfortable air of the situation.

"Well, I guess I'll go first then." Eleazar chuckled nervously. "Isabella, I don't know if you are aware that I have a talent?" I felt myself straighten and started to listen more intently, making sure to get every piece of information he provided. "I have the ability to sense talents in others, both human and vampire. I can sense what category they would fit into, their potential and the talents they may not even be aware of." He gave me a significant look, and his eyes sparkled with excitement. I peeked at Carlisle from the corner of my eye; he was loving this. All the information and hidden potential I had stored within me, as well as the talent I was already demonstrating out in the open for all to see, was sending him into a learning frenzy.

"Are you saying she is more than just a shield?" Marcus asked, his hand snaking around my hip. I bristled angrily. How dare he call me _just_ a shield? And then touch me like he was at the moment, all tender and caring as he rubbed circles on the skin beneath my white tank top?

I felt my eyes go hard, and no doubt black was swirling around and mixing with the red. Carmen sucked in a quick breath while Eleazar noticed the change in my demeanor and sat up straighter, shifting his weight toward the edge of his chair, ready to attack or defend if necessary.

"Just a shield," I mumbled to myself, letting the words roll over in my head. "Well, I guess it's nice to know how much I mean to you and your brothers, Marcus."

He started to talk, apologize really, but I didn't want to listen. I moved to stand, but he clapped his hand down on my hip until it actually started to hurt and I visibly grimaced from the pressure. Still, as a newborn I was stronger, so I continued to stand, jerking my body away from him and began walking circles around the room, my heels clicking on the hard wood of the floorboards.

Marcus gave up trying to talk to me; he knew it was hopeless to apologize when I didn't want to hear it.

Somewhere in my head I knew that I was being illogical and irrational. I knew Marcus hadn't meant his comment to be derogatory or belittling, but the words still made my newborn brain go into overdrive. What if that was all he saw me as? Did Aro see me the same way? Just some shield that they had at their disposal?

No, I knew that wasn't how they saw me, but it's what the monster in me was thinking, and the anger just leaked out, causing me to lash out at my closest companion. I paused in my pacing and sent him an apologetic smile. He nodded accepting that it wasn't my fault and that he knew his comment could have been taken in two different lights.

Sensing the worst was over; Eleazar sunk back into his seat and continued speaking, though he did keep a wary eye on me. Wise since I was still balanced on the edge between going on a rampage and returning to my seat with Marcus.

"So, it is safe to assume you only know of your shield." I nodded absently as I started pacing the room again. "What do you know about it?"

"Originally it was only a mental shield that I could do anything with, but with help from Aro, Marcus and other guards, like Renata, I learnt to stretch it over a small amount of distance and how to take others under its protection. Then during an argument with another guard, it changed. I felt like something had finally snapped inside my head," I distractedly pointed to my temple as I remembered that day, how scared I was, how Jane was pinned to that wall for hours because I couldn't figure out, or calm down enough, to let it fall. "like it was always there; I just hadn't known how to unleash it." I looked over my shoulder at Eleazar, whose eyes were following my loop around the room, to see if I was making sense. He nodded and motioned with his hand for me to continue. "After that advancement, that was all I had expected. I trained with it and soon started to learn the different 'feel' between my shields and how to manipulate the physical one farther and into different shapes than I can do with my mental shield. But the more I trained with both shields, the stronger they seemed to get and the more effective they became and then last night happened. I gather that you all noticed that I trapped Edward with what appeared to be a part of my physical shield to keep him out of the confrontation?" I briefly looked at them, only making eye contact long enough to see them all nod. "It wasn't a part of my shield - it was all of it. I pushed my entire shield out from myself and surrounded him with it. I have never done that before, never pushed my shield out, never made it stretch so far away from my body's centre. Never have I left myself physically unprotected since I found it."

The room was dead silent after I finished, all of us replaying the power I had displayed and controlled although it was my first time manipulating it that way. Then I remembered the curious little lightening bolts and the deep red haze that surrounded Victoria and me. That had never happened before either. I told Eleazar as much, but he didn't say anything, just nodded before he was lost in his thoughts again.

"I understand that that may have been confusing and even frightening for you ,Isabella, given the many 'firsts' that happened last night and seeing the Cullens, especially Edward, again. But I won't hide the fact that I already knew you where capable of what you pulled last night and that I also know that you are capable of much more with that particular ability." Eleazar looked at me again now, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees and a frown marring his forehead. "You see, Isabella, that is was scares me. I know what you are capable of and know your limitations whilst you don't. You know nothing further than what you have already demonstrated, but are able to pull out that much pure power and energy on a whim. I'm worried that next time you might not be able to control your shield if you do something like you did last night."

A shot of fear tingled down my spine, but I refused to let it show, let them see just how scared of myself I was in that moment, and concentrated on something else that Eleazar had said.

"You said more before. You said I was capable of much more in _that particular_ ability. What does that mean? Do I have another one?" I asked, succeeding in my quest to control my voice, despite the fear and anxiousness that was going on in my head.

I didn't want to believe that I was capable of more; I didn't want to have another ability, either. I had enough training and enough strain going on with what the brothers knew of me so far, and this was sure to make Aro's day once he found out, if he didn't already know. What I was capable of so far, and the amount of power I displayed last night, had scared me more than I had ever been in my life. Just the thought of being capable of more, more power, more destruction, more invincibility, more monstrous things than I already felt, had me trembling.

"Yes, Isabella, you-"

"Eleazar, no!" I cried, not bothering to keep the fear from my eyes as I looked at him, begging him to agree. "I don't want to know. I don't want to know how much more I am capable of with my shields or even how much my other 'ability' is capable of. I will hear what the basic idea of the ability is, but no more. I feel horrible enough with what I know about myself now. I don't need more ammo to fuel the hate I feel for myself right now. Tell Aro if you must, but keep it from me, please?"

The room fell silent again, uncomfortably silent. I felt their eyes assessing me, judging me, and I hated it. I got it almost every second of the day when I was in public and sometimes even when I was in private. I felt like I was being scrutinized, watched and judged just because I was new and seemed to be pulling more and more power out of nowhere. That was the one thing I hated about myself, the inability for my powers to just go unnoticed. My shields were always putting me in the spotlight, and therefore the lower class guards were in awe or in hatred of me. I never got a moment's piece unless I was in the company of the ancients and high up guards like Demetri.

"Oh, Bella!" Esme cried. Her eyes were rimmed with red, as they glistened with venom that wouldn't fall as she launched herself at me before wrapping her arms around me, pulling me closely and holding me to her chest. Why on earth was she crying? The way she was holding me was motherly, affectionate and comforting, but why was she comforting me? She was the one that was crying, after all.

Gingerly I wrapped my hands around her waist - whether it was to comfort her or push her away, I wasn't sure, but Esme seemed to take it as a gesture of comfort because she started to sob harder. I looked to Carlisle for an answer and some help, but he wasn't looking at me. He had his eyes closed, his head facing the other way and a pained, heartbroken expression on his face. I still couldn't think of what would have elicited this reaction from both coven leaders.

From what I understood of the conversation, there was no reason to cry or to be upset. We had found out that I was capable of more than any of us ever thought. I had begged Eleazar not to tell me more for the plain and simple fact that I liked living in ignorance and didn't need another reason to hate my abilities, and by extension, hate myself. My eyes grew wide as I realized that that was what had upset them. For the first time I had openly admitted aloud that I disliked part of myself and wished for any more knowledge to fuel that hate be kept from me.

I hated that I had said those things, admitted them, in front of the present company and confirmed Marcus's suspicions all in one horrible speech, but I had said them and meant them, so there was no taking them back. I couldn't pretend that I was joking, because we all knew that the look on my face and the unshed tears in my eyes had been there and had been a true marker for my inner monologue.

Although I now knew the reason for the outburst Esme was displaying, it didn't help me to remove myself from the situation or from her embrace. I whispered her name and gently tried to push her away, but she continued to cling to me with a strength I had no idea the woman had in her.

Fortunately for me I didn't have to ponder my dilemma much longer, because Edward and Emmet threw open the double doors and walked in. Emmet took in the scene and immediately his persona shifted from his usual cheerful self into a grave expression that fitted the room's atmosphere perfectly. Somehow that seemed like Emmet's real personality, rather then the overly cheerful, cheeky one I had witnessed last night. Edward's expression didn't change, but I guessed he already knew the mood and thoughts flowing throughout the room, so he was already prepared for whatever happened next.

At least one of us was.

Emmet went to Carlisle's side and placed his hand on his father's shoulder, whilst Edward made his way over to Esme and myself. He gently placed a hand on her waist, right above where mine where placed, and the other he used to gently pry one of her arms away from me; she refused.

"Mom," he murmured, trying to pull her away again with a bit more force than before.

It all happened so fast that even my vampiric sight could barely keep up.

One moment Esme was sobbing and clinging to me whilst Edward tried to pry her away, the next she had let me go, turned around and slapped him. The sound her palm made when it connected with Edward's cheek echoed and rung in my ears as Esme glared at him and started to yell. He didn't look up, or anywhere for that matter; he just kept looking at the same spot of timber flooring his head had been forced to with the force of Esme's hit.

I hadn't heard anything Esme had said because I just couldn't stop looking at the pitiful creature I once thought was a god, standing before me with such a look of self-hatred that had only grown and intensified since the last time I saw him. But now it wasn't because he was disgusted with what he was and what his instincts told him to do. It was because of the treatment, guilt and sadness he had forced upon those around him, especially his family, and Esme was pointing out every error he had made over the years, and it was hitting home with every word.

Desperate to separate myself from my sympathies and from Edward, I looked at Emmett who had been watching the whole thing with a slack jaw. He met my eyes and knew what I wanted and what was really necessary: to separate mother from son for the time being. He zipped across the room with Carlisle in tow and started pushing Edward out the door, not that he really had much of a fight on his hands - Edward was more than willing to leave the room. Carlisle, on the other hand, had to pin Esme's arms to her sides and hold her tightly so she couldn't leave and go after Edward to continue her rant.

I watched Edward go with a heavy heart and actually wished I had paid attention to what Esme had been saying to him - then I might actually know why he looked the way he did and what had forced this loving woman into a raving newborn-like state.


	9. Chapter 8: Truths

**Chapter Eight: Truths**

**Edward POV**

I didn't fight Emmett as he pushed me from Marcus' study; I remained complacent, allowing him to push me through various corridors and up a number of staircases until we reached the rooms my family had been given for the majority of our stay. Once the door was closed tightly behind us, I blindly fell into the nearest armchair and distantly noted that Alice, Jasper and Rosalie were also in the room; but I didn't focus on them. All I could focus on was my mother's words and Bella's face through Emmet's mind.

'_You had no right, Edward…'_

Through Emmet's mind I had seen Bella staring at me after Esme had rightfully slapped me. So many emotions shadowed her beautiful face, and Emmet could only name a few. But the main one he had recognized and lingered on was the same one my mind now played over and over again.

Disgust.

She, my love, my existence, my Bella, was disgusted by my very presence. I had hurt her so much – more than I ever realized - the day I fled Forks, and only now was I starting to learn the repercussions of those actions. Could I ever undo what I had done? Would I ever be able to make her believe that I never stopped loving her before she learned to love another?

'_All your fault…'_

No, I didn't believe I could. She was already falling for another. She was sure that I had never loved her and she hated me for it. Jasper had told me what he felt from Bella during his encounter with her and the Denalis when we had returned to our rooms after the ball; his talent had assured me that she hated me for the pain I caused her and that hate extended to my family, whom I had convinced to leave without a word.

'_You took her from me, from your father…'_

I wanted to run, to hide away from the world and let Bella get on with her existence, and to never see the disappointment in my mother's eyes again. Hide away so I could never hurt Esme, hurt Bella, or anyone else that had the displeasure of knowing me. I wanted to die.

"Edward?" Alice called pulling my face up to hers. "Edward you cannot leave! And Aro will not kill you if you ask…not that anyone in this family would let you even get that close to asking," she whispered, cupping my face in her hands, demanding my attention. I stared back blankly. "What happened? It all happened so fast that I missed it. Tell me, brother!"

"Esme kicked his ass that's what happened!" Emmett roared. Under any other circumstances he would have been laughing, but his voice was now serious and angry. Something Alice seemed to have missed.

"Be serious, Emmett," she hissed, her mental voice snorting in disbelief of his ignorance to the situation.

"I am," he growled, folding his arms over his chest angrily just to make his point.

"What? What are you talking about Emmett?" Alice dropped her hands and stood before me, looking at Emmett over shoulder and finally allowing me to sit back and look away.

"I mean, I just saw Esme forehand Eddie boy here across the face," Alice and Rose's jaws fell slack and Jasper reanalyzed my emotions. "And gave him a mouthful, whilst Bells was standing in the same room."

"What did Esme say, Emmett?" _I'm sorry Edward, I would be asking you but it doesn't seem like you are capable of talking at the moment_. Rose's voice sounded in my head.

And she was right, I could barely believe that the last 10 minutes of my existence happened; and I needed someone, namely Emmett, to clarify and confirm it all for me. I was in no state to retell what I thought I heard, both vocally and mentally, and what I had seen. It was too much.

"Well, you'll have to ask Eddie why we were going to interrupt a private meeting with Bella and Marcus, but once we opened the door, I saw Esme holding onto Bella for dear life, crying her heart out, whilst Bells stood there looking a little awkward. Carlisle was sitting on the couch with his eyes closed, not even lookin' in their direction. Of course Carmen, Eleazar and Marcus were looking about as lost and sad as I felt…" Emmett rambled on.

Alice and Rose were getting rather irritated and just wanted to get to the point. Emmett was quite content to keep rambling until Rose began to growl, which made him hop right into the action.

"Okay, okay jeez! Edward was tryin' to get Esme away from Bella and… I dunno." He shrugged; a deep frown appeared on his forehead whilst his mind replayed the incident. "Something must have snapped cause next thing I know Esme's slapping Eddie across the face and yelling at him. Telling him how this was all his fault, that he's the reason Bella hates who she is and if he hadn't been so stupid as to delude himself into thinking that we was doin' the right thing by leavin'. She also mentioned that he had no right to take her daughter away from her in the first place, let alone make Bella hate her in the process."

'_She thinks I no longer love her, Edward! You took a mother from her! You robbed me of a daughter! How could you? How could you…' _Esme's choked voice entered my head, ringing true to everything I had feared. It had happened; my mother had hit me. She blamed me for Bella's downfall into our society, and blamed me for depriving her of her beloved daughter. And Carlisle had agreed with her; I heard his thoughts and knew it was true. He thought the very same thing his mate did.

"Bella hates Esme?" Rose asked watching me as I made my way over to the window seat with my back hunched and shoulders shaking.

"I dunno that's just what Esme said." Emmett sounded as confused by the statement as the rest of us. Well, all of us with the exception of Jasper.

"It's not that she just hates Esme, Rose," Jasper said, recalling all the emotions he had felt coming from her when she had looked down at him on the staircase, when he and Alice had met her in the study, and when she had seen our family standing together at the ball the night before. "She hates us all. The hate, the pain, the worthlessness, the confusion and anger she feels when she sees any one of us…" He shook his head in dismay as he let the emotions overwhelm him, preparing to spread the same emotions in order to make us feel and understand what she feels lives with all the time. "I can't describe it; I can only show you."

Without pause, he bombarded us with everything Bella had been feeling, which made the living room we sat in feel confined. The air left my lungs as the emotions overtook me, and Emmett and Rose stumbled back into each other, whilst Alice sank to her knees and cried.

Jasper kept it up as long as he could before letting the emotions drain from him. He sank down to the floor beside Alice and pulled her into his lap as he began to cry silently along with her. Emmett grabbed Rosalie's hand numbly, and she immediately clung to him, both their minds uncomprehending of how one person could feel so much.

"She's not our Bells anymore," he whispered to everyone and no one. "She's changed so much. I mean you only have to look at her to know that, but the way she feels toward us has changed. She used to love us and now…." He trailed off and fell into the armchair I had recently vacated.

"No!" Rose's voice, though not yelled or cried, still held the same emotion and power even as she whispered it. She believed what she was saying, and she'd be damned if Bella was going to hurt our family the way it was by making us believe her 'garbage'. "She's still ours. She still loves us to some degree; it's just buried so deeply under all the hate and pain that we caused. It wasn't just Edward that caused what Bella's feeling now, it was all of us. We all left because Edward said go; we didn't fight half as much as we could have. God knows I didn't fight at all! Yet even after we agreed to leave, we still agreed to go without seeing her again and without saying another word of explanation. That would have hurt her just as much as Edward telling her that we had already left and she couldn't come because we were protecting her-"

"I didn't tell her that, Rose."

"What?"

They all stared at me; their mental voices all saying the same thing.

_What did you tell her, Edward?_

_You lied to her didn't you?_

_If you didn't tell her this was to protect her then what did you say?_

_You told her something stupid, didn't you? To get her to let go, you lied. You lied so that she would put your needs before hers and let you go easier. You made her give up on you._

Jasper was dead on; he always was. He could sense the guilt rolling off of me and that, combined with what Bella was feeling when she laid eyes on me, gave him the information he needed. I had just confirmed it for him, but once I shared this information with the rest of my siblings, especially Emmett, I was going to get my ass kicked.

"Yes, Jazz. That's exactly what I did," I confirmed unnecessarily.

He growled at me, and Alice soon joined in when she looked ahead and saw my upcoming confession.

_I would love to tear you apart right now Edward, but I think I'll leave that to Emmett and Jasper; they'll do a much better job._ She roared in my head as her hands tightened around Jasper's arms; not to restrain him but to restrain herself.

"Can someone please tell us none gifted vampires - _what the hell is going on_?" Emmett bellowed, finally sick of waiting around for the three of us to clue him and his wife in.

"I lied to her, Emmett. I didn't tell Bella that we were leaving to protect her, to keep her safe from our world. I told her I was leaving because I was sick of pretending. I told her that I didn't love her anymore, and when she asked whether or not I wanted her, I told her no." The memory of that day came flooding back. The smell of damp soil and wood and how it mixed with my love's scent so perfectly. I relived the way I had to struggle to keep my face distant and careless as I tried to convince her that she was nothing to me, nothing but another 'distraction' in my endless existence. And she bought it all too easily. I hadn't realized how good a liar I had turned into until that very moment. When every kiss, every touch, every tender and loving moment meant nothing. Not even the countless times I had professed my love for her and only her; it all meant nothing anymore.

As I expected, Emmett ran across the room and punched me square in the face. Jasper was right behind him, and picked me up by the throat and effortlessly threw me across the room into a stone wall; a priceless painting came loose and fell on top of me from the force with which the wall shook. I could have avoided it, and all movements my brothers made toward me easily, but what was the point? They had a right to do this. This was for being an idiot; this was for the hurt I caused their sister, siblings, wives and parents. I wasn't going to fight back because I knew that I deserved this, and more, for the pain I had cause over the years.

I took another blow to the face, Jasper this time, whilst Emmett held me up and worked on my torso. Of course this wouldn't leave bruises or broken bones behind but it still hurt like hell and they knew it.

"Emmett! Jasper! Get off your brother this instant."

There was a second's pause before my brothers obeyed Carlisle's words and dropped me to the floor. I lay there on the stone floor amongst the destroyed painting and wall fragments; panting for unneeded air whilst everyone situated themselves around the room, ready to listen to the rest of the encounter Carlisle and Esme had with Bella and the others.

None of them paid any attention to my condition; they knew I would be fine… better than fine once I fed. I didn't blame them as I didn't want their attention anyway; I wasn't worthy of Bella's, let alone my family's.

"I assume Edward and Emmett have filled you in on what happened when they interrupted our meeting with Bella?" Esme asked my siblings. She was worried about me and felt guilty for striking me, as her motherly nature demanded, but she tried to push it down for the moment and her anger helped her to do just that. She didn't even look at me, and that hurt more than the physical pain she had inflicted less than 25 minutes ago.

"Yeah, they did. And Edward also gave us a piece of information that he should have shared a long time ago." Rose, though she had previously disliked Bella and hated her involvement in our lives, was rather protective of Bella at the moment. She didn't think anyone should go through what I had put Bella through over the years and could only imagine what she was going through now as she was being forced to see me again. If it had been Emmett in my place and he told her the same things I said, Rose didn't think she would have lived through it. Emmett was everything to her just like I was, apparently, everything to Bella at the time. Rosalie was amazed that Bella had the strength and the will to live through two years knowing what she did, going through the change, cutting herself off from all her friends and family, starting a completely new life, growing a backbone, learning to resist me and putting me in my rightful place.

Rose had always thought that I smothered Bella too much and hadn't liked that Bella just put up with that behavior. So to see Bella completely ignoring me, hissing, growling and even threatening bodily harm whenever I got close was a big improvement and gave her extra points in Rose's book.

"What was that, Rose?" Carlisle's voice brought me back from my brief trip into Rosalie's mind and I quickly paid attention to my father's instead.

What I found there was every thought, every action and every word he had heard, spoken and seen over the last hour swimming around in the chaos that represented his current state of mind. And it was all about Bella. Everything passing through the forefront was related to Bella in some way; power, pain, training and family were among the most extensive topics they had talked about.

"Bella's already told you the same thing I just told them, Carlisle."

_You told them what you said the day you left her in the __forest?_ His mind's 'voice' sounded disappointed and bitter.

"Well… I kind of forgot about the forest part, but the rest, yes."

"Forest? What forest?"

"The day I left Forks, Emmett," I started to elaborate, looking him dead in the eye. "The day I lied to Bella, I left her in the forest behind her house."

His anger at me grew again but Jasper quickly smothered it as much as he could without transferring his own emotions to my brutish brother.

"Where she was found in the early hours of the morning by a Quileute boy named Sam Uley," Esme's quiet voice continued.

My eyes snapped to hers. I hadn't known that, but how could I? I had never checked up on Bella after I left. Hell, I hadn't even known she was missing, let alone who found her the day I left. I didn't even know when she went missing 'permanently' from Forks a year and a half ago.

"Quileute?" I asked, listening as my mother played over that section of conversation, careful to keep me from hearing too much too fast.

I saw Bella's calm, careless expression appear before my eyes and heard her voice recall what happened after I left her.

"_He turned around and left. Edward ran and, stupidly, I tried to follow. I thought that if I caught up with him I could convince him to stay. Let me talk to you all one last time or find out that it was all some big lie, a joke." She laughed humorlessly, obviously hurt although she hid it very well. _

_Yet she was right on the ball, it was a lie and she didn't believe it. She believed the lie and refused the truth, that I loved her, that she was the only one for me. I had heard her calling my name and stumbling through the leaves and falling over tree roots as she tried to catch up to me; I had run so fast and fought so hard not to turn around and tell her I was sorry before promising to stay with her for all eternity. _

_I wondered briefly what would have happened if I had turned around and gone back. Or how different things would be if I had given her what we both wanted, but had refused her, earlier. If I had changed her she would have caught me as I ran…but then again if I had given her immortality when she asked at prom, I wouldn't have left in the first place. I should have just given in to her pleas and changed her; we could have been so much happier and we would still be together now if I had. _

"_I knew in my heart," Bella's voice continued as she looked into my mother's eyes, her face still calm, but her eyes betraying the pain and anger she was feeling. "That I wouldn't catch him and even if I did, I was but a mere mortal girl. I hadn't had anything to keep him with me and all the pleas for him to stay in the world wouldn't have changed that, so eventually I collapsed on the forest floor, exhausted and depressed. I went numb and I think I fell asleep or passed out at one point because, not soon after, I heard voices calling my name. They didn't hear me calling back because my throat was dry from all the yelling and crying I had done for your son. After a few more hours a boy…man from the reservation by the name of Sam Uley found me, wet, shaking and covered in mud. Sam took me back to my father after making sure I was all right. I didn't speak or eat for weeks after that night, and I didn't feel whole for a very long time either." _

_Marcus reached out and took her hand in his before drawing it up to his pale lips and kissing her knuckles sweetly, chastely… lovingly. Bella turned her head, smiling down at him briefly before a small, awkward shuffling of feet caught her attention. Slowly, she tore her gaze from Marcus' and looked toward the door. A small smile graced her lips and her eyes, were still shining with compassion and contentment. Curiously, my mother followed Bella's gaze which land on the only guard in the room, whose own face was filled with love and sorrow for the immortal woman staring back at him, seemingly oblivious to present company._

_Demetri._

The memory stopped. I growled and pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to dispel the image of Demetri's loving face as he looked upon _my_ mate.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I just thought you should know that there is more than just Marcus that seems to have somewhat caught Bella's attention." My mother apologized, walking over to run her fingers through my hair comfortingly, touching and looking at me for the first time since her outburst.

I was about to say thank you but Jasper's quiet laugh interrupted. I looked at him curiously, not understanding his thoughts.

"Don't tell me you were so focused on Bella herself last night that you drowned out every thought that wasn't directed at you?" The sheepish look on my face must have told him the answer he sought, before he started laughing again. "Ok well then it might interest you to know that there were two vampires I detected last night that want Bella for a mate and believe themselves in love with her. There were also around a dozen others, Felix included, who wish her for a sexual companion, but are too wary of her to make a proposition." He was still smiling like a fool but, as he pictured all the men who lusted after Bella, Jasper tried to control himself so as not to provoke me. "I assume that would be because of the three vampires that never stray far from her side and her notorious reputation for being hostile."

"Three? Jasper, didn't you just say that there were two in love with her?" Alice asked.

She was both astonished and confused. She wasn't astonished by the amount of people in love with Bella; in Alice's eye you were crazy if you didn't love her. The number of people lusting over Bella didn't surprise either of us because she was so beautiful. No, Alice and I were both astonished by the fact that Bella hated being the center of attention, yet she was handling all these admirers with grace and poise whilst her actions were only those of encouragement. The actions and situations she had placed herself in last night all drew attention to her person; attention that she seemed to love and thrive under, whilst the old, human Bella would have shrunk back and tried her best to blend into the background. Something she never quite accomplished. What Emmett said was true; she had changed, but he was also wrong. I had caught a few glimpses of the old Bella inside the hardened immortal exterior, but it was never directed toward my siblings and me. It was a shame because Alice and Emmett had missed her so much.

"Yes, Ali, there are two people in love with her romantically, but the third I speak of is Aro. Bella is a daughter to him, as much a daughter to him as she is to you, Carlisle," Jasper answered delicately, knowing our parents' wariness of the topic. "He is fiercely protective, he's loyal, he loves to spoil her and will give her anything she wants as long as it's in her best interest. He cares more for her than any of his other guards. And I'm willing to bet that if Edward were to listen to Aro's mind during a tender moment between the two, Aro wouldn't be thinking of her as one of the Elite. I believe he counts her as part of the coven itself."

"So according to Aro, and probably Marcus too, Bella is the sixth member of the coven?" Rose asked, unsure of what to make of the circumstances like the rest of us.

"Yes. She has essentially taken Didyme's place. Marcus is one of the two I feel is in love with her. He is her creator; they have shared a kill and are now bonded in a way that Bella doesn't know about. Though Didyme is dead and is Marcus' first mate, it is possible for our kind to mate again if we survive our previous mate's death. Rare, I admit, but possible. He feels guilty for his feelings toward Bella but he cannot shake the bond between them. He doesn't fight it anymore. I've felt what it's like for him to be around Bella, he's drawn to her and the draw has only increased since they have shared blood and venom. He is ready for her to take her place by his side permanently. She needs only to accept his feelings and she becomes a ruler of our world."


	10. Chapter 9: Truths Part 2

**Chapter Nine: Truths - Part 2**

**Bella's POV**

"No. That's not going to happen." Esme's voice was hard and laced with determination.

After Esme, Carlisle, Eleazar, and Carmen left, I had a brief talk with Marcus, promising I would come back and talk in more detail later, before deciding to follow Carlisle and Esme back to their room with every intention of telling them that their family had to leave. It had only been a day and a half, but I was more stressed out by their presence in my home than I had anticipated. And, in light of my new powers, an impromptu termination of an enemy I didn't even know I had, and trying to understand my feelings for those around me, I felt like I was being smothered. But when I heard the family's conversation, I couldn't walk any further into the corridor. Instead, I just stood and listened silently, hoping that Jasper didn't pick up on my emotions and that Alice didn't 'see' anything.

To say that I was shocked to find that Marcus was in love with me and wished me to take Didyme's place, would be the understatement of the millennium. I was sure that at that point Jasper would detect the amount of shock that was rolling through me, or that any one of them would hear the thud my body made as it came in contact with the stone floor beneath me after my legs gave way, but they didn't.

"Of course it's not, Esme, "I heard Edward hiss angrily. "She doesn't feel the same way about him, and Marcus will be able to see that instantly."

How the hell did he know how I felt? Oh right, Jasper's probably thinking about it. I couldn't help but be annoyed that someone other than me knew how I was feeling and could make sense of it when they were only turning me around in circles every time I tried to sort everything out.

"That's not what I meant, Edward," Esme seethed. "I'm not loosing my daughter again." Wait. She still thought of me as a daughter? She left! So doesn't that mean she doesn't love me, let alone not count me as one of her own children? "I am not leaving this city without her. She belongs with us and she will come home with us."

"And getting her home will be a lot easier if she doesn't take a mate." Jasper's tone was thoughtful as he gave his family, and me, an insight into my own messed up emotional state. "I'm certain she won't take Felix, but Marcus and Demetri already hold a piece of her heart. She is so confused that even I have no idea which she would choose. A romantic or sweet situation, or just an open and honest conversation with one of the two could sway her emotions in a moment. She loves them both, that much is clear, but she seems confused about which way she loves them because of the intensity and comfort she feels with each is different. She loves Marcus and has bonded with him over their similar losses; they are great companions who are very open with each other. She loves Demetri more then she loves Felix, who is only a friend despite his best efforts." I giggled silently at that. "But she doesn't love Marcus and Demetri as much as she loved you, Edward, and that's what's confusing her. It's what's subconsciously stopping her from making a decision."

"So she's wondering whether or not she can take a mate at all because she doesn't love anyone more then she had _loved_ Edward. She doesn't feel the same connection." Carlisle sighed, speaking for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"Why is everyone still saying that she loved him? Isn't it obvious she still does?" Rosalie burst out angrily.

I stiffened at her words. There was no way I was still in love with him. I was happy here in Volterra surrounded by people who adored and revered me. Edward told me he didn't love me, didn't want me. He told me straight to my face that I was nothing more than a distraction; then left without looking back, taking his family, and mine, with him.

There was no way I was still in love with that obnoxious prick!

"Rose," Edward sighed, irritated. "She hates me, and I don't blame her for it after all the pain I've put her through over the past year and a half. I left to protect her and look where she is. This is what I didn't want for her, so I lied to her and left her to live with that, broken and unprotected where the Volturi found her."

Lied? Left to protect me? What the hell was he talking about? He left because he wanted to, because his latest distraction got boring, because he was growing tired of playing Superman to a clumsy human.

"Besides," Edward continued. "She's changed both emotionally and physically. She's not the same Bella anymore, and she's made her feelings toward, not just me, but all of us, clear."

"Oh my God!" Rosalie exploded again. "I can't believe that I'm the only one who can see this. Not even the bloody empath can sense it," she snorted in disbelief. I could imagine her standing there with her hands splayed on her hips, looking at everyone in the room like they were the biggest bunch of morons she had ever seen.

"What are you talking about, Rose?" Alice's bell-like voice rang out loud and clear in the dead silence that followed. The irritated tone she usually got when she was dealing with one of Rosalie's outbursts actually sounded quite scary at that moment.

"Did it ever occur to anyone that she's hiding behind the anger and giving off the impression that she hates us for some other reason?" The room turned quiet once again. No one spoke, moved, or even seemed to breathe as they all thought over Rosalie's question.

Of course, I thought she was an idiot thinking that I still loved them, especially Edward, but then to go and say that I was keeping it from them for my own personal reasons? Well…she wasn't far off, but it didn't mean that I loved them and that wasn't the reason I was masking myself in front of them. It was the simple fact that I was masking myself so I didn't get hurt exposing myself to them. I did that last time. I opened up to them and finally felt as though I had found where I belonged, only to have it all ripped out from under me and crush me in the process.

I still couldn't move from where I had collapsed on the floor and kept listening to the observations she had made from last night.

"Look, we all saw how she made a show of drinking human blood. What if, instead of showing us that she had chosen a different path, she was showing the brothers her alliance and Demetri was just a witness to it? I've also noticed that every time she is the centre of attention, including the ancients' and ours, she has shown a lot of physical affection for Marcus, Aro, and Demetri. They are the rulers and an Elite guard. She was showing her alliance again, and she was separating herself from us."

Well, she was right so far; I had been going out of my way to prove that I was separate, different from them. That I didn't love them anymore; just like they had sent me the same message by leaving. And, in a way, I guess that by showing the Cullens that in a public area, I had also been showing the ancients and guests where my allegiance lay. Although, I hadn't thought that at the time.

"She treated us all coldly and indifferently whilst the brothers watched, but as soon as you took her hand to dance, Carlisle, she didn't pay any attention to Marcus' actions and kept her eyes on you. I saw her soften up the longer she danced with you. She even hugged you, Carlisle, before she pulled away, then it was like the mask was back. She went back to being what the Volturi saw when she was in our company just as Caius turned to watch the two of you. It's almost like she can sense when they're going to be watching her and times it all perfectly."

Ok, now she was wrong. I had no idea when the brothers were watching me. I just lost control for a few minutes before I put on the mask I felt was right to wear in front of them.

"But, Rose-"

"No, Edward! Why won't you believe me? Why can't you see the truth? You're always the know-it-all when it comes to everything else but Bella. And you're just as blind to her behavior and needs now as you were when she was human. She loves you, Edward, just like she still loves the rest of us. She's just acting." I heard Rosalie take a deep, unneeded breathe to calm herself before she continued trying to convince everyone of her views.

"Look, I know she wasn't a good actress when she was human; her heartbeat and blush always gave her away when she was lying, but those signs are gone now. She is a good liar now; hell, she was able to convince you and Jasper that she hates us. So who's to say that she hasn't fooled the ancients of the same way? Aro can't read her mind, Chelsea can't bind her to him, and only Marcus can see and possibly predict which way she will turn next. But when she danced with Carlisle, she slipped. It's just by pure luck that no one else in the Volturi has noticed them yet."

Rosalie paused giving everyone a moment to think over everything before I heard her spiked heels tapping across the stone floors as she paced back and forth.

"If she didn't care about any of us then why did she pull Esme out of danger and put her in the safest place possible? Why would she have been so desperate to get free of Emmett and break up the fight, only to kill Victoria herself? It was clear that you already had the upper hand, Edward, but she still interfered. She was protecting her mate and her family. She was protecting you. Unconsciously done or not, she did protect you. And I bet that she's protecting us all from something huge right now."

She was wrong again; I wasn't protecting them when Victoria came. I was protecting me, protecting my coven; I was doing my job as a death dealer. And even now, I was not protecting them; I was protecting myself from them. I didn't want to get hurt again, and I wasn't going to let them do it. Which is the exact reason I had come up here to ask them to leave at the earliest convenience. So much for that idea! I couldn't get up off the floor, let alone walk in there, look at them all, and kick them out.

"Rosalie has a point, Edward," Esme's voice was so soft that my ears had to strain to hear. "When Carlisle pushed me out of the way, I knew Bella was standing there. I was trying to shield her before she pulled me back into the circle the Elite had made. She had pulled me into the one place on earth I could never be touched in that situation. I saw her eyes when she was trying to get out of Emmett's grip. The brothers weren't looking at the time, but I was. What I saw in her eyes was nothing short of the need to protect ones' mate. It was the same look we all saw in your eyes when you were protecting her from James."

There was a pause, and when Esme spoke again, her voice was louder, easier for me to hear, and had the same steely determination I had heard in it earlier. "I believe she loves us, and I won't leave her here. Even if she is protecting us from something, I will not leave without my daughter."

My body shook with silent sobs and shock as I heard Carlisle agree with his wife. The others also agreed, and I knew it was hopeless to ask them to leave now. Their determination was too strong to give in and go home without me, even if I didn't fully understand why, but I would try to make then leave anyway.

"So can you tell us everything Bella said to you?" Alice asked, sounding like she was trying to change the subject.

I stopped listening as Carlisle and Esme began a recount of what I had told them about my life after they left and began rallying myself together and forcing myself to my feet.

With one hand on the wall and the other on the floor, I had started to push myself up when the door into the Cullens' quarters opened and Rosalie stepped through. I looked up at her as she stared at me and saw Emmett's bulky shadow standing just behind her.

"Uh…hello, Isabella."

I nodded in reply as I pushed myself up off the floor with a strength I didn't have moments ago. I stood tall as the other half of the double doors was pulled open and the rest of the family stepped through, Edward pushing himself in front of everyone else.

I looked straight into his golden, butterscotch eyes and realized how much I missed him and everyone else; I actually missed Rosalie, which was stupid, considering that we had never gotten along before.

Still, with those feelings came the hate and betrayal that was always present. So, still looking at Edward, I forced myself to say the words I needed to say, the ones I had initially come to say, though my gut told me they would do no good.

"I'm not protecting _you_; I'm protecting myself _from_ you. Leave."

For a few seconds all that could be heard was the sound of my heels clacking on the stone as I retreated down the hall until I heard a pair of swift feet approach. Two seconds later, Edward was standing before me.

"We won't leave without you, Bella."

I flinched at the sound of my old name and took in the expression on his face. He was determined and angry, just as I had expected. He wasn't going to make my life any easier by finally leaving me alone. He was going to stick with the decision his family made and stay.

"I know; I heard. But make no mistake, I will make you leave sooner or later. So save your family a lot of pain, Edward, and leave soon. It will only get harder the longer you stay."

I stepped around him, but he grabbed my hand gently. It wasn't the type of hold designed to keep me there, it was merely to feel my skin upon his. Unwillingly, I paused at the contact and felt the electricity make its way up my arm, toward my heart and begin to consume my body. When he squeezed my hand, I turned and looked into his eyes to find that he had moved closer, his face only inches from my own. He moved closer still, and my breath caught when I felt his own fan across my face.

My mind screamed 'no', but my body screamed 'yes'. I had no idea what I was going to do and what would happen afterwards, but it felt so right. More right then the brief kisses I had shared with Felix, or the almost kiss I had experienced with Demetri earlier. I was being pulled toward Edward by an unknown force, stronger than the one I felt with Marcus…

_Marcus._

What the hell was I doing? This man betrayed and played me, yet I was letting him get this close and….oh God…he was dazzling me again!

I blinked, swallowed, and made my lips move, my voice coming out as a mere whisper, "I have to go find Marcus."

Devastation crossed Edward's face as I said the words and sighs escaped from his family, who I had forgotten were standing behind me. Defiantly, I stepped away from Edward, pulling my hand from his in the process. The second our skin had parted, the electricity stopped and my chest throbbed. That loss of contact seemed to bring Edward back to reality as, he began to grab uselessly for my hand, but I had already turned my back and pulled myself together.

I paused once I reached the end of the hall and looked back over my shoulder; they were all still watching me at me, with matching looks of confusion and disappointment.

"I have a training session that starts in a few hours; be sure to come and say goodbye won't you?" I left without waiting for an answer, giving them no option to deny me.

I found Demetri waiting for me in my room when I got back there. I had promised to find Marcus after my talk with the Cullens and have a serious discussion with him about everything that happened recently. But I just felt so overwhelmed with everything and wasn't able to face Marcus knowing that he was in love with me. Although, having my suspicions about Demetri wasn't an ideal situation either. I needed to vent, and Demetri was just the right person to listen.

Demetri had pulled all the curtains back exposing my balcony and sitting area to the afternoon sunlight, so as I stepped further into the room, intending on joining him by the windows, I began to sparkle like diamonds. Quickly remembering the interruption we had this morning and not wishing for another close call, as I wanted any and all information exchanged between us to be kept quiet, I dashed back to the doors and locked them before slowly walking to Demetri's side.

Demetri raised an eyebrow once I stood beside him gazing out over Volterra's walls and into the countryside I so desperately wanted to run through.

"What?" I smiled.

"Locked door, Isabella?"

I laughed at him as he pulled me toward the chaise and sat down, pulling me down to sit beside him.

"I need to talk to you, and I don't want to be interrupted like we were this morning."

I watched as that wide, dazzling grin crossed his face; I really did like it when he looked at me like that. He was always so happy to see me. He could make me laugh and cheer me up with just that smile alone. The only thing that made a difference this afternoon to earlier this morning was that he wasn't hiding what he was feeling about me anymore. I could see it all clearly now through his eyes. He really did love me for me, as damaged, and sometimes, fragile as I was.

I took a deep breath and briefly considered how to tell him what I had heard. Deciding on the best method, I looked at a point over his shoulder and spat out the words quickly.

"Marcus loves me."

He froze and his eyes turned a little harder - blacker - before he collected himself again and smiled. The hardness hadn't disappeared from his eyes though, so he wasn't fooling anybody.

"Of course he does, just like Aro loves you." I started shaking my head before he had even finished his sentence.

"No, Demetri, I mean he's _in love_ with me. I went over to the Cullens' rooms to tell them to leave Volterra, and they were talking about me. I stopped and listened in. Jasper's an empathy, and he feels how Marcus does when he's around me. He said it's like Marcus is drawn to me somehow; there's a connection between us and that's only gotten stronger since we shared that girl yesterday. According to Jasper, Marcus wants me to take Didyme's place among the coven." Demetri nodded slowly as I spoke but had now turned his head away from me and continued staring at my closet door handles like they were the most interesting things in the world for the next five minutes.

I tried to grab his attention by brushing my fingers across his hand, but he flinched and pulled away. I froze and stared at the side of his head while my fingers and thoughts tingled from the first rejection Demetri had ever given me. I thought for a moment that I should just stand up and let him leave, but just the thought of watching him walk away from me hurt because it looked so much like Edward. I had let Edward go without a fight. Just a simple question and then that was it, he was gone. I wasn't going to let that happen to me again. If he wanted to leave me too, he had a fight on his hands. I couldn't lose our friendship.

With that in mind, I placed my hands on both sides of his face and forced him to look at me. And, even though I had his face cupped in my hands, he still wasn't really looking at me. It was more like he was looking _through_ me.

"Demetri?" No response. I called his name again and got the same result. This time I began to panic; I felt my eyes prick with venom and my hands tightened on his face. Seeming to sense my distress, he placed one hand over mine and held it to his cheek as he gathered his thoughts before speaking to me in a slow, serious tone.

"Have you talked to Marcus about this, Isabella? I have had my suspicions about the extent of his feelings from the start, but I had tried to ignore them knowing how much he had loved his late wife."

I pursed my lips at the mention of Didyme. Her relationship with Marcus was another thing I had to talk to him about. I had been under the impression that vampires only mated once and that was a permanent connection. Maybe I had been misled when Edward told me that?

"I haven't talked to him yet. I came straight here to try and get my head straight before confronting him about it. I don't know what to do. I am so confused, Demetri," I whispered lowly with my eyes downcast.

I really didn't want to hurt Demetri, and having a confirmation of his intentions was only making this harder for me. I loved him, but I also loved Marcus. There was something different between us, more intense. Marcus and I had a deeper connection. And then I realized that Marcus and I were probably a better suit. Until now, I had always been more at ease with Marcus and went to him first with what was going on in my head. Right now I was just scared about what was going to happen when I did come face to face with him. Would my feelings change? Would I become awkward and distant with him or decide that he was the one for me?

I didn't know the answers, and the truth was that I might never know them for sure. I only knew that I couldn't keep hurting everyone around me with my indecision, because it was hurting them. It was hurting Demetri, knowing that there was another fighting for my affections, one more powerful than he was. It was hurting Marcus, because he had been through a similar ordeal to me and yet he had already made his decision. He had already come to terms with his feelings and thought everything through. Marcus was giving me time, letting me come to terms with my own feelings and make my own decisions, even if that decision meant that I break his heart for the second time in his long life.

"You've made your decision." My eyes snapped to Demetri's face only to see him watching me intently with soulfully sad eyes. He had been watching me, watching my thoughts play out on my face and in my eyes. He knew my decision.

I nodded. "I'm sorry, Demetri, but I can't hurt him. He's already lost somebody. I can't put him through that kind of pain again."

Demetri slowly nodded in understanding, his thumbs brushing over my knuckles gently as they now lay in his lap.

"I understand, Isabella, I do. I just wish that you had chosen differently." With that, he bent down and placed a small, searing kiss on my lips, which surprisingly did nothing for me, and left the room without another word.

I sat in my room for the next thirty minutes staring at the material covering the chaise I was still seated on, before taking a deep breath and deciding that I had to talk to Marcus about this now.

I walked down the hall at a human pace and pushed open Marcus' study door. He was sitting behind his desk with another old worn book in his hands; he glanced up as I turned and closed the door behind me. I didn't know what to do from here, so I just stayed there by the door with my fingers fiddling with the lock.

I heard Marcus sigh and his book drop onto the desk before he got up and walked over to me. He placed his hands on my shoulders and rubbed them soothingly, making me relax and lean back against his chest.

"You had a fight with Demetri?" He asked cautiously.

I looked up at him in surprise, wondering how he knew, only for him to point to his eyes.

"Your connection is deep purple." I sighed and nodded in both understanding and confirmation.

Purple, to Marcus, meant that there was bad 'blood' between the people connected to it. The darker the purple, the worse the fight or disagreement was. The harder it would be to repair the bond.

"What did you fight about?" He asked, resting his chin on the top of my head whilst his hands still massaged my marble arms.

"It wasn't so much a fight as it was a difference in opinions." His hands paused for a moment as he thought about what I meant. I sighed, knowing that I had to get this out in the open and see where it went. "I overheard Jasper telling his family about the people around me and how they feel." His hands instantly dropped from my arms, allowing me to turn around and meet his alarmed, but cautious, gaze.

"You know then?" I nodded in confirmation and he sighed deeply in response, his hands fisting and twisting the sleeves of his robe, seeming to be at a loss as to what to say and do.

"That's what Demetri and I discussed when I found him in my room before. He loves me too, Marcus, as I'm sure you know, but it wasn't him that I decided to take a chance on."

The alarm I had previously seen in his eyes was now taken over by surprise and a glimmer of hope. Before he could comment, I rushed on to explain myself.

"I just…I feel more connected and at ease with you than I do with anyone else, and I do love you, Marcus, I really do, but I'm still confused. I need some more time. I need to deal with the Cullens and get them out of my hair before I start sorting out what's going on in here." I placed my hand over my silent heart, avoiding all eye contact with him, as I showed more vulnerability now than I had ever shown since my change. "I know that I'm asking a lot, but I need you to wait until I can fully come to terms with my feelings. If you can't wait or change your mind then that's fine, I can deal with that - "

Marcus lifted a hand to my mouth and covered it, effectively cutting me off mid rant.

"I won't change my mind, Isabella. I can see that you still need to work things out with your past and now with Demetri. I will be here when you discover yourself and feel comfortable entering into another relationship."

My eyes pricked with venom again, and I couldn't help the sobs that wracked my body as I flung my arms around his neck. He held me close for a few minutes before he picked me up bridal style and laid me on the couch next to him. With my face still buried in his chest, the material of his cloak fisted in my hands, and his hands stroking my hair soothingly, he bent down and peppered warm, chaste kisses on my hair before moving his lips to my ear.

"I love you, Tesoro. Never forget that."


	11. Chapter 10: answers and first meetings

**Chapter Ten: Answers and First Meetings **

**Bella's POV**

After I had regained some resemblance of control over my emotions and stopped crying, Marcus allowed me to lie quietly in his arms and gather my thoughts. His hand rubbed up and down my back softly every now and again whilst he rested his chin on the top of my head.

He never said anything, and he hardly moved so I knew he was deep in thought; going over everything in his head and allowing me the space I so badly needed.

I knew I was supposed to be thinking, thinking about Edward, the Cullens – how I was going to deal with them in particular – thinking about Demetri and how to fix our relationship in a way that we could continue being friends without his – our – emotions getting in the way. It wasn't just his feelings for me that would affect our relationship now, but my feelings for Marcus would also be a tough hurdle for us to cross when we came to it. That was another thing I had to think about, Marcus. And, I guess, analyzing my feelings for him, but I just couldn't bring myself to do all of that just yet. The two days had been so stressful and confusing that my brain was shutting down; I didn't know how to deal with all of this and how to move forward.

Well, that wasn't true; I knew how to move forward, I just wasn't sure which way to go about it. I needed to discuss everything with Edward; I needed to have him and his family, out of my life before I started to sort the things out in my head out. I also needed to get my mind wrapped around the fact that Marcus was most likely going to be my mate sometime in the future. I was going to be one of the coven, not just a high ranking death dealer who does their dirty work but someone with an opinion, someone with power, someone with a family again.

I smiled a little at that revelation and snuggled down into Marcus' arms a little more. Marcus, in turn, sighed and placed yet another gentle kiss on my head.

"Why me?" I suddenly whispered, breaking the long-standing silence that had encompassed the room.

"What?"

"I mean…" I huffed and pulled away from him, turning on my side and resting my head on my probed up hand so that I could look down at him. "There are plenty of other unmated females roaming the world and I'm guessing most of them were there tonight, and many of them would have jumped at the chance to be with you. And yet you chose me. Just… why?"

"Isabella," he sighed exasperatedly. "You're not seriously thinking that my feelings for you are a manifestation of your powers, are you?"

I lowered my eyes toward the dark leather beneath us and stared at it intently, guiltily.

My new ability was somewhat of a challenge for me to wrap my head around. I had started to doubt all my relationships at this point because of the possible side effects it could have.

My talent was very similar to Chelsea's but completely different at the same time. Eleazar had described it as the ability to 'decide the nature and fate of each relationship that is connected with yourself'. In plain English, it basically meant that upon meeting someone, my subconscious decides what type of relationship it will be; fatherly, sisterly, brotherly, acquaintances, friends, lovers, mates and even enemies. Once that was decided, a bond of that nature would be forged and set in stone, only changing when my subconscious felt it necessary.

For example, when I met someone like Siobhan, I felt comfortable and connected with her and her coven. She would have felt the same irresistible pull and responded in kind with friendly actions and conversations and the bond would be formed with that friendly nature being the foundation.

My first meeting with Tanya had gone the opposite way, with my subconscious deciding the nature of the bond as 'enemies' because of a clash of personalities, or some other reason that I could not discern on my own. Instead of feeling the pull toward me however, her instincts told her to fight or flee from me, immediately setting her on edge around me.

The 'fate' part of my ability came in the form of my conscious having the ability to physically terminate or continue a bond. An example would be if I went up to Demetri, looked him in the eye and consciously decided that I would no longer have any contact with him, essentially severing the bond. An example of a continuing bond would be the relationship I had with Marcus. I was eager and always needed him to talk to and comfort me, therefore the bond grew stronger the more time we spent together and the longer it would last.

However, unlike Chelsea, I couldn't bond one person to another; I couldn't break it or make it stronger either. I was only able to make or break the relationship bonds connected directly with me.

The side effects of having this ability weren't to do with the ability itself, but rather the implications it could cause. Was Demetri feeling the way he was because I unconsciously wanted that from him, or were his feelings real? Was the same thing happening to Marcus? Did he really love me as he said he did, or was it just a result of my intense need for him that was creating these feelings for him?

These questions and more had been plaguing my mind since the meeting with Eleazar earlier today. Nibbling away at the trust I held within myself, and the faith I had with all my relationships, including, and especially, Marcus'.

"Look at me." Marcus ordered suddenly; I ignored him.

"_Tesoro."_ He said more forcefully, lifting his torso up off the couch and bringing his face within inches of mine, and giving me no option but to look at him. "What I feel for you isn't something forced, and it certainly isn't artificially made, I can _see_ that." He said determinedly and putting an emphasis on the 'see', obviously indicating his extra senses. "All the created or enhanced connections Chelsea makes have a distinctive blue haze around them, whilst the connections you have with everyone are surrounded by pure white light. I never thought it would have been a talent, which is why I never mentioned it and Aro discarded it. The bond between you and I has hardly any light around it, Isabella. It isn't forced or created-"

"But if the light is there, even a little it means the bond is being manipulated by my talent." I interrupted as my panic grew once again.

"Yes, the initial foundation bond that you unknowingly influenced is there as it must have been for me to take notice of you, but the rest is just us. Just the love I have for you and whatever love you have for me. There is nothing else, Tesoro."

I looked at him, his face still only inches from mine and his breath fanning across my face, still skeptical but knowing he was telling the truth.

"Please believe me, Isabella," He breathed, as his eyes clouded with venomous tears. "I love you, I know that I do, but you must believe that before we can begin to move on. Together."

Again the pain and honesty in his eyes told me the truth and I felt myself relax a little more and my panic started to reside.

"I believe you, I do. I just couldn't help but wonder..." I trailed off as I got lost in his eyes.

"And that's ok, it's ok to wonder under the circumstances, I just hate thinking that you believed me to be insincere. You're forgetting that I have lost a mate before too, and that I would never wish that pain upon someone else, so toying with your emotions is out of the question, Isabella."

I nodded and sighed again, feeling guilty that I had hurt him once again. I lowered my head and kissed his cheek gently, lingering longer than necessary, before I pulled back and pushed him back onto the sofa so that I could snuggle into his side again.

"There's something else that I need to talk to you about." I mumbled nervously, not wanting to upset him like I had before.

"Oh?" he asked noncommittally as he resumed running his hands up and down my back and arms.

"Yeah."

After a moment of awkward silence, I heard a light rumble start to form in Marcus' chest as he chuckled.

"Tesoro, you can ask me anything and I will tell you what you want, don't be scared." He teased, grinning down at me.

"I'm not scared," I cried indignantly and hit him lightly in the chest. "I just don't know how to phrase my questions… one of them is kind of awkward."

"Awkward?" He questioned as his hands stilled on my back.

"Yes." I breathed, having doubts about whether this was the right time. Maybe if I just left it till later? No, I couldn't. If I put it off now, I wouldn't ask at all and I needed to know; I was tired of being ignorant.

Marcus was tense for a few moments before he let out a long breath and his body deflated, whether it was out of relief or exasperation I couldn't be too sure.

"Didyme."

"Yes, Didyme." I confirmed firmly, knowing that he would try and avoid this subject as much as I wanted too.

I felt him turn his head away from me and heard him sigh once again. I knew he still hurt over her death and part of that was because he never did find out who murdered her, never had the chance to exact his revenge. The other reason why he was still hurting was because he still loved her, and he always would. I had accepted that a long time ago because some small miniscule part of me would always hold a place for the Edward I first met, the Edward that _acted_ like he loved and cared about me. Marcus was a different matter, he had accepted that he loved me and knew he wanted me as a mate but I supposed he felt guilty for 'replacing' Didyme. I would never replace her and everyone knew that, she was his first and she was loved by everyone apparently. She never let the power go to her head like her brother did and actually tried to rein Aro in a few times and 'keep it fair'. Marcus' guilt had never and would never make sense to me, though I could see where he was coming from, to a certain degree.

"What about her, Isabella?" He was angry, of course.

It was something to be expected whenever someone mentioned her, but it was mainly me who brought her up. I was curious to know what she was like, how she had been with Marcus and her relationships with her brothers and sisters. I never got many answers and I had never asked to see a portrait of her after the first time I had made that particular request.

"I guess I don't understand," I admitted softly, trying to move away and give him some room, only to be denied by the tightening of his arms. "How can you pick another mate? I had always been under the impression that once a vampire found their mate, that was it for the rest of eternity, no matter what happened to one half of the couple."

It was silent for a couple of moments and I was ready to tell Marcus not to worry about it, to talk to me when he was ready when he began to speak. His voice low and methodical, as though he had repeated this conversation a number of times and was now sick of the topic.

"It's possible, believe me, it's possible. However it is rare and only happens when one's mate has died. As far as I know, it's only happened twice before me. You see Isabella, when our mates' die, there are two paths we can take. The one that eventually leads to insanity whilst pursuing revenge –"

"Victoria." I supplied, recalling the way she screamed and beg, the way she tried to run and especially how angry and… psychotic she had been to find out Edward had left me.

"Yes, Victoria is a prime example. The other path is the one I chose, solitude. A vampire who has chosen solitude because of the loss of their mate, or has grown sick of this existence, often come here seeking death or they find someone else, most likely the Romanians, to kill them when we refuse." He sighed, fingers playing with strands of my hair. "Shortly after Didyme died, I had these same thoughts, but I knew Aro and Caius would never destroy me, so I had no choice but to lock myself up in my room and remember her." He paused for a minutes, swallowing thickly as he remembered his beloved wife. "After a few years of starving myself and refusing any and all contact, Aro found Chelsea and hoped that she would solve my 'problem'. He brought her to me and requested that she strengthen the bond until he told her to stop. She didn't 'fix me' of course; she did however succeed in stopping my scheming. I had so many plans to run far from these walls and find someone willing to be rid of me by that point." He chuckled darkly to himself and sat up, pulling me with him. "Gradually, though, the thoughts left as Chelsea's connection between myself and Aro grew stronger. After roughly twenty years, all suicidal thoughts were gone; only to be replaced by thoughts of how much pain I would cause my siblings if I acted on those desires. It was obvious to everyone however, that the more the bond increased the less I moved, the less I was using my talent and the more withdrawn I became from everyone of my family, bar Aro. I ate out of habit to keep Aro happy, not because I wanted too. I became a shell of the happy, lighthearted man I used to be… until you came." He brushed my chin playfully and smiled, trying to change the subject.

I smiled back at him just a little whilst raising an eyebrow, telling him that I knew what he was doing; he rolled his eyes.

"There's nothing else I can really tell you Isabella, no one knows why it happens to some and not others. Although Carlisle did come up with a theory about it a few years ago, he thinks that the vampires who have survived the death of their mate eventually meet their mate's reincarnation and fall in love with them. He believes that when our first mate's soul passes into the afterlife, a piece is taken from them and given to someone yet to be born, helping to complete and shape that new being's soul, giving that being certain attributes and so on."

"So you think I'm Didyme's reincarnation? That there's a piece of her in me?" I asked incredulously. Honestly Carlisle's theory did make sense, in a way, but the thought of Marcus loving me because he was under the impression that he had gotten a piece of Didyme back was unsettling and wouldn't go down with me very well.

"No, I don't think that." Marcus said thoughtfully. "It's what Carlisle believes, but to really agree with that theory, you would have to believe without question that there is a God, that there is another life to live after this and I'm not certain about either subject. Besides, you and Didyme are the exact opposite. The only similarities I see are physical and even then they're hard to spy." As he said this, he turned my head further toward him and traced my cheekbones with his fingertips. "She looked so much like her brother but her features softer, like yours." His fingers danced over my chin and his thumb brushed my bottom lip, pulling it free of my teeth. "Her lips were thinner, like Sulpicia's and a few inches taller than you. Your hair however," he said, sliding his hand into my hair and running the locks through his fingers gently whilst his eyes followed their trail. "Is the same length and style. Didyme's was black as midnight, like Aro's, and she almost always wore it up, but when she let it down, it would cascade down her back just like this."

He sighed heavily, dropping his hand into my lap. I grasped his large, pale hand in my own smaller ones before ducking my head in an effort to catch his eyes.

"Can I… see… her?" I asked hesitantly.

Marcus' eyes snapped up to meet mine in an instant; they showed anger, resignation and fear. He wasn't as angry as last time and he was still holding my hand so I thought I might be in with a good chance with a little more persuading.

He started to shake his head but stopped when I pulled his hand to my face and pressed it flat against my cheek.

"Please, Marcus? I really do want to meet her, to put a face to the woman you loved first. Please."

He sighed again, pursed his lips together and ran his free hand through his hair, as the resignation in his eyes grew stronger. I had won.

Without a word, I turned my head and kissed his palm, stood up and held my hand out for his. He took my hand and led me out of his study, determination clear in his stride.

"Where are her portraits?" I asked quietly as I did not know where to find them.

Aro had told me that after his sister's death it was too hard for Marcus to look at them and went around the entire castle, ripping each of the frames from the walls. He never said what had happened to them, if any had been damaged in his brother's grief or where they had been stored so I was flying blind. Flying blind in a situation where Marcus would need my comfort and support the most.

"They're locked in a vault Caius and Aro had installed underground a few years ago. I need the keys and pass code so I'm taking you to Aro first." He said briskly as he continued to lead me through the maze of corridors that made up the north wing of the castle.

Marcus knocked briefly on Aro's study door before opening it and motioned for me to enter first.

Aro and Sulpicia's study was much like Marcus', only larger. There were two staircases at either end of the study that lead to the second level of the library that was packed to the brim with books, maps, blueprints and music sheets.

Instead of the dark chestnut wood that was found in Marcus and Caius' studies, Aro's was embellished in black lacquered wood with the various armchairs and couches covered in emerald green velvet.

I found Aro hunched over a piece of very old, yellowed parchment that sat on his desk. He looked over the top of his desk, briefly seeming to be annoyed by the interruption until he laid eyes on his brother and I.

"Isabella darling, Marcus!" he smiled, rounding his desk to hug me at vampire speed.

I wrapped my arms around him tightly and hid my face in his cloak as I tried to tell him how stressed I was. He understood, and held me closer as one hand came up to stroke my hair.

"I know darling, I know." He whispered to me. "I've already seen everything from Demetri and Eleazar, but we mustn't worry about those things now, they can be left until our guests leave Volterra."

I nodded, relieved that he would leave all the important things until there was little to no more distractions within the walls. Aro released me from his embrace, letting me move further into the room and drop into an armchair in anticipation of a long conversation and some mind reading.

Marcus didn't even bother to greet Aro, simply stepping forward and touching his brothers exposed hand; they both stilled on contact.

Hearing faint footsteps from the upper balcony above my head drew my attention and I realized for the first time since entering the room that there was someone else in here. I stood, walking toward the nearest staircase ready to inspect when Alec appeared at the top, his arms filled with half a dozen thick leather books.

He looked up and saw me, smiled, and descended the staircase.

"Hello, Isabella."

"Ciao, Alec. Cosa stai facendo?" (_Hello, Alec. What are you doing?) _I said in Italian, motioning toward the books he now placed on Aro's desk.

"Aiutare." (_Helping._) He answered vaguely as his eyes began to roam my body.

Alec had developed a tendency to 'take stock' of my physical appearance and hit on me once every blue moon. I didn't appreciate his ogling, especially since he looked like a fourteen-year-old brat.

From behind me I heard someone hiss, and assumed it to be Marcus since he was facing this direction.

I raised an eyebrow at Alec once his eyes snapped back to my face. I walked silently over to the desk and looked at the book titles; Alec moved away from me at my approach but continued to stare, trying his best to keep his eyes on my face.

My brow furrowed in confusion as my eyes trailed down the gold embossed titles and looked at the parchment Aro had laid on his desk, the one he had been so intent on minutes before. _Why on earth…?_

"Alec? Perché Aro bisogno I romeni record talenti?" _(Alec? Why would Aro need the Romanians talent records?) _

The Romanian Talent Records were a list of times, dates, names, talent fields and specifications of all the different vampires the Romanian coven had found in their glory days. There were thousands of vampires listed and each talent was unique, never the same recurring talent in any of the twelve books. After the fall of the Romanian rule, Aro had taken these records from their library and researched them before tracking down these vampires in an effort to try and persuade some of them to join the Volturi and marking off the ones that were now deceased. After Aro had made his way through all twelve books, he started making record books of his own, using the same system and style that the Romanians had.

I guess this was how he found out I was such a powerful shield. He and his brothers had never seen anything like me and I guess the Romanians hadn't either.

"Non Aro." (_Not Aro._) Alec replied, motioning to the balcony behind me.

I turned around and looked up, my red eyes meeting with brilliant gold eyes and shockingly blonde hair. Carlisle was watching me intently, his eyes shining with pride and amusement as he smiled down gently at me.

Of all the Cullens, he was the easiest to look at. I had no idea why but to look at the others, especially Esme and Edward… well even the thought was almost repulsive. Carlisle was easy. Carlisle was able to look past the mess his son had made in the past for a few minutes, and concentrate on the present long enough for me to be in the same room.

"Ciao, Isabella." He murmured; his eyes darting behind me to Marcus and Aro as they began to move around the room. I heard a drawer opening and a tinkle of keys before I realized that Carlisle was waiting for a reply.

"Ciao, Carlisle."

He smiled brightly at me. "I see you imparato a parlare italiano." (_I see you learnt to speak Italian._)

I nodded and smiled back at him as he descended the stairs. "Sì, ho avuto un sacco di tempo libero quando sono arrivata qui e odiato, non conoscendo la lingua. Marcus mi ha insegnato a parlare italiano e francese. Sono attualmente insegnare io come parla estone." (_Yes, I had a lot of spare time when I first came here and hated not knowing the language. Marcus taught me to speak Italian and French. I am currently teaching myself how to speak Estonian.) _

"Estone?" (_Estonian._) He asked with his eyebrows raised. He sat down gracefully in the armchair I had just vacated and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Sì." (_Yes_)

"Non sono mai stato in grado di ottenere qualsiasi della mia famiglia per imparare, nemmeno Esme." (I have never been able to get any of my family to learn it, not even Esme.) He laughed. "Nessuno qui può insegnare?" (_Can no one here teach you?_)

I shook my head and replied, still speaking in Italian. "Incredibilmente, nessuno qui conosce la lingua." (_Remarkably, no one here knows the language._)

"Would you like me a insegnare?" (_Would you like me to teach you?_) He offered.

"No. I'm fine on my own, thanks." I snapped, abruptly reverting back to English.

His eyes widened with surprise at the change of my tone and looked like he was warring with himself. The time he spent in the present was over.

"How's your family since my visit this morning?" I smirked as his face automatically crumpled into a sad heap.

Carlisle looked to the floor and ran a hand through his hair, a movement he must have picked up from his son.

"Chaotic." He whispered, looking at me through his lashes but said nothing as I smiled vibrantly at him and walked over to Marcus and Aro. Marcus slipped his hand into mine once I stood beside him, watching as Aro wrote down two rows of numbers a scrap of paper and handed it to his brother.

"Be strong, and please try not to ruin any like the last time." Aro chided his brother playfully; Marcus simply rolled his eyes and took the paper and key from Aro's outstretched hand.

"I'll try." Marcus breathed, weighing the items in his hand and staring at them intently. I squeezed the hand that was intertwined with mine in reassurance, happy when he squeezed and gave me a small but grateful smile. Marcus turned and started pulling me back toward the door when my eyes caught a glimpse on Aro's desk. I tugged on Marcus' arm and stopped walking; he looked at me quizzically when I held up a finger and looked back at Aro.

Aro was still watching Marcus and I with an overly happy smile on his face, which he tried to control when I turned around; he failed and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Why are you and Carlisle looking at the Romanians records?" I asked curiously and motioned toward another stack of similar looking books that Alec was bringing down from the second floor.

"Carlisle and I are curious to know if his Alice is the only vampire to have been able to see the future. I can't recall seeing any record of it but it's best to go over them again and check anyway." Aro answered, picking up the first volume and scanning its index.

"If there is a record of another physic, I'm also interested in finding out the differences between them and Alice." Carlisle said, accepting a different volume from Alec and scanning the contents quickly. "See if Alice is more powerful, if hers works differently and how the visions play out in comparison."

I nodded, now curious if there was another like Alice. If there were, the vampire was probably dead for if there were another like Alice, Aro wouldn't have given up on acquiring them easily.

"Okay, well I hope you find what your looking for, though I highly doubt you will. Alice's pixie-like nature isn't the only unique thing about her." Carlisle looked up and smiled at my words, Marcus tugged gently on my hand. "Ciao."

Once we were out of Aro's office, Marcus lead me to a spiral staircase that would take us deep underground and into the tunnels.

"Your bond has changed a little." Marcus whispered into the silence, his voice echoing slightly off the stone bricks that surrounded us.

"Which one?" I asked distractedly as I paused and looked over the railing and down the central spiral. The soft golden glow of wall-mounted lights illuminated various point of the stairwell and even with my enhanced eyesight I could barely see the stairs ending.

"Carlisle's." Marcus breathed in my ear, before maneuvering me away from the railing and down the steps.

I giggled at the worried expression he threw at the railing. Did he really think I was going to fall? And if I did, it wouldn't hurt anyway.

"Really?" I asked, still giggling. "Has it severed yet?"

I wasn't really worried about it, I mean the only interaction I had with Carlisle Cullen was when I taunted and teased him. I didn't have any heartfelt conversations with him, yes I had had a few slip up here and there but nothing big enough to make a difference, nothing to make the bond strengthen. I really hoped that all the bonds to my past would break soon; I was getting a little impatient.

"Severing connections takes time, Isabella. Unless you're Chelsea of course, then it only takes seconds-"

"Why can't I do that?" I interrupted. "Just walk up to them and decide to cut off all contact, treat them as strangers? Why wouldn't that work? I mean…" I began to ramble, getting more and more frustrated with every second. "That's a part of my talent right? Deciding the fate of my relationships. So why couldn't I do that?"

Marcus paused for a moment, thinking about what I said, while we continued down the never-ending staircase.

"I don't see why it wouldn't work, but it may be extremely difficult for you." He said slowly. "Chelsea's power works different to yours and she has an extreme amount of control over it, you don't. Chelsea knows what she doing; she can feel her talent and manipulate it. To break a bond, she merely concentrates on the thread that connects one person to another and applies a certain amount of pressure to it. She once told me that, since she had been using her talent for so long, that it was as easy as breaking a twig between her fingers. This will most likely be different for you, especially since we hadn't detected it before now; it will take you longer to learn recognition and control. But I don't think it will be difficult just because of that; I think it will be harder because you know all the Cullens on such a personal level, you think of them as people, people you used to laugh with, people you used to be happy with, people you used to love." He looked at me sadly. I looked away, toward the walls as I fought all the happier memories that flooded the forefront of my mind. "Chelsea doesn't see things that way and it makes it easier for her to cope with what she is doing. By all means Isabella, you could try and sever it using your powers but it will most likely be hard, stressful and quite emotional."

I sighed and shook my head in hopelessness. "So no matter what way I try and sever the bonds, with or without my talent, it's going to take more encounters and more time? I have no control over my power Marcus, I don't even know it's there; I can't feel it. It's not like my shield; I can always feel this band around my brain, but this new one? There's nothing. I hate having no control!" I exploded and punched the wall next to me, stone crumbled and turned to dust beneath my hand.

"You will have control, eventually." Marcus soothed, pulling my hand out of the indent I had made and brushing off the debris left on my knuckles. He pulled me closer and wrapped an arm around my waist, keeping me out of arms reach of the wall before he urged me down another set of stairs. "Think of this situation as a test run, an opportunity to get a feel and an insight to how your talent works and feels. It's just like what we did with your shield, remember you trained for days trying to get used to the feeling and trying to hold onto it for more than a few seconds, now look at you! You're just shy of 6 months old and you have fantastic control over both shields and can hold them for as long as you want, and every day the circumference of them grows."

"I know, I know," I sighed again, pushing myself further into his side and seeking more comfort. "The whole thing is just so frustrating."

"I know Tesoro, but look on the bright side; the guests will all be gone by tomorrow night, the Cullens by the end of the week and you and Demetri will be friends again in no time." He said, pausing under a doorway a couple of floors from the bottom of the stairwell.

"Demetri?" I asked, confused. One minute we were talking about connections and talents and the next second, Demetri is brought into the conversation.

I had tried not to think about him and the potential pain I had caused him by choosing as I did and had been quite successful in my efforts. All the serious talks, Didyme and the visit to Aro's study had kept my mind occupied; I couldn't however say that he had been completely tossed from my brain. I could still feel his name, his feeling and our conversations all lurking in the dark recesses of my brain and hoped they would stay there for now.

"What about Demetri?" I asked, pulling away from Marcus and leaning against the arch behind me.

"I know your argument with him is upsetting you Isabella, and I can understand why." He said gently, leaning against the corner of the archway with his body only inches from mine. "He loved you and you loved him, just not enough. Give him time to reconcile his feelings and come to terms with your choice before you talk to him. But it will be fine, I promise."

I rolled my head in his direction and smiled indulgently at him. "You can't promise me that, Marcus."

"You're right. I can't, can I?" He asked rhetorically, looking at the floor with a false frustration embedded into his features. "However," he said slyly, looking up at me and moving his body closer to mine, his chest pressing gently against the length of my arm and one of his hands coming to rest on my cheek. "I can promise you that I will never let any harm, emotional or otherwise, come to you, Tesoro. I love you and to see you hurt, in any sense of the word, would be the worst form of torture."

I smiled tenderly and my eyes filling with venom. "Thank you, Marcus. You know that seeing you in pain causes the same feelings for me, and that what we're about to do is going to hurt not only you." He nodded solemnly, his hand still pressed against my cheek with his thumb brushing over my cheekbone. "I'm sorry we've got to do this, but I _have_ to see her." I brought my hand up to his and held onto it.

"I know." He murmured, pressing his lips to my forehead, before pulling back a little and locking eyes with me.

He wanted to kiss me and he wanted my permission to do so, but now didn't feel like the right time. I wanted to kiss him, I really did, but the idea of our first kiss being in a dingy old stairwell that smelled like soil, dried blood, stagnate water and rats that scurried away in our wake, wasn't such an inviting idea.

I must have been biting my lip again because Marcus' hand dropped toward my chin and tugged on my lower one, releasing it. He smiled at me and bent forward, closing the distance between us and kissing me on the side of my mouth, just like I had done with him at the ball.

I smiled a little in embarrassment. "Thank you."

"It's okay; I've had more time to come to terms with all of this than you have. I just have to keep reminding myself not to rush you." He breathed, still standing close to me. He kissed me once more, this time on the cheek, and took my hand in his, leading us through the archway and down a number of corridors. Marcus obviously knew where he was going as he didn't pause or hesitate when we came to multiple tunnels, and in just a few short minutes later, a huge silver door came into view.

It was obvious that the vaults' door was made of thick steel and had two small steel boxes on either side of it. Marcus silently handed me one key and placed me in front of the one on the right whilst he took a stand before the other wall-mounted box that had a keypad connected to it. Marcus silently took the piece of paper Aro had given to him, from his pocket and keyed in the first row of numbers. I jumped a bit when the squealing of steel on steel met my ears and watched the steel box in front of me as the top slide away, leaving a key lock in the middle.

I looked over at Marcus to see that his box had done the same and he had inserted his key. Following suite, I pressed my key into the lock and was about to turn it when Marcus spoke, making me jump again.

"We have to turn them together otherwise the vault locks down for 24 hours."

I nodded at him and returned my gaze to my own key.

"One… Two… Three." We turned and the terrible squealing came back as giant bolts on the other side of the door slide out of the way and into the rock walls beside them. The door popped open and Marcus removed his key, coming over and collecting mine before pulling the door open and waiting for me to enter first, he didn't look at me.

I had no doubt that if I had been human, my heart would have been hammering out of my chest and my stomach in my throat. But since I was now a vampire, all I could do was take a deep calming breath and place one hand on the cool steel threshold as I crossed it to keep me steady.

What I saw wasn't what I had been expecting. I had been expecting something similar to the safety deposit rooms you found in banks, and to a certain degree this vault did look a little alike, but completely different at the same time.

All the walls were made of the same thick steel that the door had been made of, but the size of the room was larger than I had imagined. Instead of the small steel box I had imagined this to be, it was in fact probably, if not bigger, than the ballroom I had danced in the night before. There were hundreds of rows of metal shelving, which seemed to be holding bulletproof glass boxes with treasures from every century, country, and civilization known to man. Looking down one of the isles, I could see the very back wall and saw that it was lined with more steel doors and much longer and larger glass cases.

"Wow." I breathed as I started down one of the isles, looking at the contents of the boxes beside me. Rings, bracelets, necklaces, broaches, a few scepters, crowns and tiara's made up the mix of the first shelf and the jewelry all seemed to be from the same era if the similar style was any indication.

"Yes, my brothers and I have made quite the collection over the years. But that's a given, considering how old we are." Marcus chuckled bitterly; I had almost completely forgotten that he had been here with me.

I walked back over to him and wrapped my hand around his arm. "Well, this explains how Aro seems to pop up with a new piece of jewelry for me every other day." We laughed together for a few moments before I returned to my wanderings and took in all the magnificent jewels around me.

One certain piece of jewelry caught my attention and I drew closer to the case to inspect. It was a gorgeous necklace with the chain made out of gold, braided rope with a small drop and a huge white, un-cut diamond hanging from it.

"Do you like it?" Marcus asked amusingly as he looked at me, wide-eyed and opened mouth.

I quickly snapped my mouth shut and unnecessarily cleared my throat. I could hear Marcus laughing lightly behind me and felt the vibrations from his chest as he settled an arm around my torso.

"Of course I like it. How couldn't you? It's stunning, a little over the top but stunning none the less."

"Yes, I agree, completely over the top; but that's just how Queen Victoria liked her jewelry back then." I could hear the smirk he wore on his face as he spoke and felt him laugh again when I gasped.

"How did you get this?" I asked breathlessly.

"You and I both know that Aro can be very persuasive, and doesn't give up till he gets what he wants."

I turned around, keeping his arm around me, and found him smirking at me. It didn't meet his eyes. He was very nervous and frightened, his body tenser than I had first noticed and his jaw was flexing rhythmically.

"Marcus…" I sighed and reached up with one hand, massaging his jaw line with my fingers gently until he let it unclenched and nodded at me thankfully. "Now?"

I felt his arm tense around me and watched silently as his eyes grew harder. He knew what I was asking and he was preparing himself against the pain he was about to receive. I took a single step toward the back wall where the larger glass cases and the other steel doors where located and Marcus followed suite allowing me to lead him down the aisle. I had no idea where Didyme's paintings were, but the way Marcus's eyes locked onto the vault right in front of us, told me that that was where she was.

We stopped a few feet away and just stared at the door together, hand in hand, and taking deep breathes. This door looked identical to the others beside it and looked similar to the main door but there were no little steel boxes on the sides and no handles. Just a little glowing keypad located at the centre of it and the number thirteen printed in black paint.

Marcus took one final deep breathe and squeezed my hand before letting go and walking determinedly up to the keypad and punched in the second row of number written on Aro's paper. The squealing of metal rang out into the enclosed space around us again and both of Marcus' arms were wrapped around me a second later. He leaned against me and I took his weight, folding my arms on top of his whilst I watched the steel door slowly and automatically creep open.

Tiny LED lights illuminated the inside of the vault's threshold and allowed me a perfect and unhindered view of the women many vampires loved and worshiped.

Didyme was prettier than I had ever expected with her hair pinned up, only one or two curls left to lie against her long neck, and was adorned with a tiara. Around her neck hung a small diamond necklace that complimented her floor length, deep burgundy dress, which was also embellished with small diamonds.

"She's gorgeous Marcus." I whispered once I caught my breath and only then realized that the man behind me was shaking almost uncontrollably and had hidden his face in my hair. "Marcus? Marcus!" I said, my voice rising with both panic and despair as he only clutched me tighter to him and cried a little louder. Even with my newborn strength, I wasn't able to turn around and quickly gave up my struggle and gave him the only comfort I could by rubbing my hands up and down his forearms and made shushing noises, telling him sporadically that it was okay and everything would be fine.

Much like my emotional outburst earlier, he regained control of himself and stifled his sobs though he didn't remove his face from my hair.

"I'm sorry Isabella, I thought I could do this but I can't," He whispered brokenly to me. "I only caught a glimpse of her and it hurt too much, I can't do this, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I understand. But, please remember that I am here and I'm not going anywhere, so just take a few more minutes before trying again, okay? You need this just as much as I do, Marcus." I pleaded as I laid my head against his, trying to get as much comfort as I was receiving.

I felt him nod and heard him swallow thickly before we both lapsed into silence, waiting for him to be ready.

Ten, silent and grueling minutes passed before Marcus moved again. His hands moved from their resting place on my hips and quickly found my hands, lacing our fingers together and taking deep breaths. He started to shake again but it was barely noticeable as he lifted his head from the cradle of my neck and slowly but surely looked into the painted eyes of his first mate. His fingers constricted around mine and his jaw flexed as I looked up at him in concern. He eyes roved her portrait again and again, from top to bottom without a word and I eventually went back to gazing at it as well.

He had been right in his description; she looked so much like her brother that it was hard to believe that they weren't twins. Her features seemed softer and kinder than those of her brothers and her eyes shone with happiness and compassion.

"My memories never did her justice." I heard Marcus speak softly in my ear.

"She is gorgeous, more than I had imagined, but your description was spot on." I said not taking my eyes off of her beautiful portrait. "Can I see another?"

Marcus nodded instantly, probably expecting the question, and motioned for me to do so. I walked forward quickly and eagerly, gently placed my hands on either side of the gilt frame and lifted it easily of its hook. I placed it lightly leaning against the wall next to me and looked up at the next portrait.

In this portrait, Didyme was not alone, instead she stood in a very similar pose to the first, arm hanging beside her and one hand on her hip, but this time Marcus stood with her. His arm hooked through the loop the bent arm made and letting his hand rest on the edge of her corset and with his other hand, he had gently threaded his fingers with hers. They were both smiling and leaning on each other for support. Both seemed very happy together and a huge wave of jealousy rolled over me.

Did Marcus and I ever look like that? If we didn't, would we ever look so at ease and happy to be in each other's presence?

"There's no need for jealousy, Tesoro." I heard Marcus murmur and turned to see him walking toward me with a smile on his face.

"Jealous? Who's jealous?" I asked innocently, trying to cover up my little slip.

He raised an eyebrow at me and shook his head in what appeared to be amusement as he came to a stop next to me. "You are, Tesoro. But there's no need for it, though Didyme will always be a part of me and I will love her forever, she isn't here. You are here and always will be, unless you wish otherwise, and I will love you from now until forever."

I nodded my head and reached for his hand.

"It's just…" I barely managed to whisper and kept my eyes on our hands at all times. "Will we ever look like that? So happy and calm? There always seems to be so much going on, so many other thing to think of, so many things and people getting in the way, that it's hard imagine myself like that."

"We will, Isabella. We will be happy and content and living this life to the fullest we possibly can, but first-"

"Yes, yes, I know," I interrupted, now getting sick of the same lines being repeated at me, day in and day out. "'Once the Cullens are gone and I have reconciled myself to my new circumstances.'" I quoted, rolling my eyes at Marcus.

"That's not what I was going to say, Tesoro." Marcus said. I raised my eyebrows at him, urging him to say what he meant to say before I interrupted. "I was going to say 'but first you have to let yourself be happy.'"

"'Let myself be happy?' Marcus, I _am _happy."

"I know that and I'm glad that you can feel happy again, that you can feel happy in my presence. What I mean is that, as you said, there are a lot of things going on and a lot of distractions; you need to let it all go. Stop caring so much about what everyone else wants and what everyone expects, just concentrate on you. Focus on your happiness and the things that bring you joy. A human's life span is too long to worry about everyone else and stress over everything, let alone the life we lead." I looked away for no particular reason other than this conversation was a heavy topic to be putting on top of today's events, but Marcus squeezed my hands and drew my attention back to him before he continued to talk once again. "We will live forever Isabella, don't you think an eternity of worry and stress is just a little too long? Why do you think my brothers and I take so long to make a decision? We let whatever is in the way sort itself out and once we have a clear head and all the facts, then we take action."

Let go? _Okay, I can do that… how?_

"I don't know how to let go Marcus. I have no idea how not to care about what others expect or what they want, as far as I can remember, I was always the one doing the caring, the worrying, the shopping. That's all I've ever known and becoming a vampire hasn't changed that."

"You were letting go perfectly fine yesterday." He commented.

"When?" I asked, thinking about yesterday.

The ball had been pretty good for me, I had let myself get carried away in the atmosphere of it all and enjoyed the new company but there had still been that nagging space in my mind that worried if they didn't like me? What would I do if they didn't think I was good enough?

These questions were useless of course because I knew I was a good vampire and a very powerful one, I got along with everyone great, except for a few females, and Aro seemed proud of me.

"Well, at the staircase yesterday morning, you didn't seem to care what the Denalis thought of you, or what they expected of you once they realized who you were." Marcus said thoughtfully, ticking things off his fingers as he went. "Then there was the feeding. You shared that girl with me without a second thought, you told everyone off when you caught them staring. At the start of the ball, when I asked you to come up there with me, you did, you worried a little but you let go off that fear and joined me in the end. And although you appeared relaxed and nonchalant with the Cullens presence, I knew you were worried then too. However, you took it all in stride and handled them with amazing grace before, ultimately, forgetting about them and… letting go."

He had a point. In all those situations, I had let my new personality take over and let my old inhabitations go and doing what I wanted… what made me happy. It was as Marcus said, I had to stop caring so much and let go in order for myself to be happy and who knows, maybe letting myself go would help get rid of the Cullens.

"What's with the feeding thing anyway?" I asked, abruptly changing the subject. "I knew that it was supposed to be some super intimate connection or something but I didn't really take stock in it at the time. Now though, with everyone staring more and more, I'm really confused about what I did."

"What _we_ did." Marcus corrected lightly. "I thought you learned this already with Aro?"

"I… didn't exactly listen." If I could have been blushing I would have, instead I settled for looking at the floor. "I didn't think it would apply to me so I just… pretended to listen to keep Aro amused."

Marcus chuckled. "Of course Aro would let you get away with that." I looked up and saw him shaking his head, his eyes landed on Didyme's portrait and the movement stopped. "Didyme and I shared a number of times over the years, but especially when we first met, so that we smelled more like each other," He looked up at me then, his eyes intense and blazing. "So everyone knew she was mine." I felt my eyes widen and Marcus increased the pressure he held on my hand. It was the only thing that kept me from running at that point. "It's a part of mating Isabella; I thought you knew that, that's why I accepted. If I had known that you didn't understand, I would never have put you in that position."

"So what? It's similar to biting me?" I asked incredulously. Sharing a human and biting sounded completely different.

Biting was like a dog pissing on a tree, marking it territory, staking its claim. Whatever way you want to put it, it all means the same thing. Mated, taken, essentially… off limits. Sharing the blood of a human, other than satisfying the thirst, only made us smell similar.

"Yes, it's like biting." Marcus answered. "Biting is a visual indicator that one is mated, the sharing of blood is a distance indicator. If one male knows my scent and comes across my mate's scent, they will often go in another direction and seek what they want elsewhere because they will take it as a warning of sorts. It works the same for me. Your scent will invade my venom and change certain components of it until, eventually; I will always smell similar to you."

"I really should have listened to Aro." I mumbled under my breath. Marcus heard of course, and tensed, releasing my hand. "Not that I regret it," I rushed on quickly and looked up at him, my eyes pleading for understanding. "I just wish I knew the full extent of what I was doing; you know I hate feeling left out and out of control."

I watched him relax a little as I spoke and reveled in the fact that I could do that. Marcus nodded his head absently and walked languidly over to Didyme's painting, lightly brushing his fingers over her face. I was still worried about him and how much pain he was still in when he looked at her, the love and longing was clear in his eyes but as I watched, a small smile imprinted itself onto his lips. I smiled; glad to know that, although this was still painful for him, he could smile as he remembered their happy times together. I walked up behind him slowly and pressed myself into his back, wrapping my arms around his waist and let my fingers tangle with his.

After a few minutes in silence where he looked at Didyme and I comforted him, unneeded or not, I heard footsteps tapping closer on the rough stone outside. I lifted my head from the place it had rested between Marcus' shoulder blades and looked toward the vault door; Marcus too turned his head in that direction. I sniffed the air delicately and immediately groaned, burying my face into Marcus' back.

"Jane." I said rudely in greeting as the little blonde slipped through the open door. I heard her feet dance a few steps into the isle before stopping abruptly. I once again lifted my head from Marcus' shoulders and saw him smiling at Jane who had frozen where she was, her wide eyes trained on Didyme's portraits.

"Jane." Marcus whispered into the silence that had once again engulfed the enclosed space.

Jane's eyes snapped up to his before flickering to me.

"Caius sent me." She squeaked, her eyes darting between Marcus, me, my arms and Didyme's portraits.

"Well obviously. Why?" I snapped, now irritated by her presence.

"You're late." She stated numbly. I raised an eyebrow at her and waited a moment until she noticed. "Y-you're late for training." She stammered.

I nodded and look up at Marcus, dismissing her presence entirely.

"Are you coming with me today?" I asked innocently.

Marcus never really attended my training sessions, I never knew why but I had always thought it was because he had a hard time watching people try to hurt me.

Marcus ignored but continued to stare at Jane, the smile now slipping from his face. I growled low in my chest and looked at Jane where she still stood frozen in place.

"You're to come with me now, Isabella." She commanded.

My growling increased as my temper rose. She didn't flinch but continued to stare me in the eye, challenging me.

My arms dropped from Marcus' torso of their own doing and my lips pulled back over my teeth as I let out a vicious snarl, she flinched this time.

"Leave, Jane." I ordered.

"I can't. Caius ordered me not to return without you."

"I don't care what Caius said," I yelled. "Tell him I will come when I am finished her with his brother." Jane started to shake her head; I was inches away from her face a second later. "That was an order, little Janey."

She snarled at me. "You don't give me orders, Isabella. You're not my master."

"She's not yet, Jane, but I am." Jane's incredulous eyes snapped over my shoulder. "Go and tell my brother that Isabella is busy, and will come when I am finished with her."

Jane curtly nodded her head and disappeared out the door without another word.

"I hate her." I murmured, my eyes still sending daggers at the door she had vanished through.

"So do I." Marcus agreed from behind me. "She was spiteful even as a human girl, Alec wasn't so bad, still a horrid little boy, believe me, but he only follows Jane's lead."

I turned around at the sound of the portrait being lifted and saw Marcus putting Didyme back in the vault.

"Enough for today?" I asked, smiling again.

He nodded his agreement and shut the door, waiting for the locks to click back in place before letting go.

"Yes, it's enough for today. Maybe if I'm up to it, we can come down and see some more but right now, you're late."

I shook my head at him. "It's only Caius, the worst he'll do is yell at me for being tardy. So are you coming to watch or not?"

"Maybe." He said, turning me around and leading me out of the vault with a hand on the small of my back. "I have something to do first but I'll try to make it."

I nodded absently, turning to watch him as he double checked that the main door was closed securely.

"What do you have to do?" I asked curiously.

"Nothing that concerns you at the moment, Tesoro." He smiled, once again placing a hand on the small of my back and leading me back to the staircase.

"Oh really?"

"Yes really, now you better run and get changed before Caius comes looking for you himself." He joked, both of us knowing that Caius was up far too high on his royal horse to go looking for someone, even me.

"Yeah, yeah alright." I laughed. "You better show up." I grumbled as I pulled away from his hand.

Marcus caught my hand a moment before I started running, brought it to his lips and kissed each of my knuckles.

"I promise." He smiled.

I smiled back happily at him and ran.


	12. Chapter 11: Harsh Goodbye's

**Chapter Eleven: Harsh good-bye's**

**Edward's POV**

"Demetri's coming." I whispered, interrupting my family's conversation.

They had been talking about their plans for the rest of the evening – Rosalie and Alice wanted to go shopping after dark, whilst Emmett and Jasper were going to go hunt the local wildlife. Esme and Carlisle were opting to stay here with me.

They had said nothing of the incident out in the hall and had been studiously ignoring it ever since. None of them said anything, but they were all thinking about it.

Thinking of what Bella had asked of us, thinking of how close I had gotten to kissing her. Their minds all-lingering on the words 'I'm not protecting you; I'm protecting myself from you.' and hating me a little more with every passing moment for causing Bella that pain.

I hated myself for causing this drastic change; these horrific circumstances and it killed me to know that – despite Rosalie's insistence – I had lost Bella's love.

I knew I had lost her love the moment I started lying to her, concealing my true feelings to keep her 'safe', but to actually _see_ the loss with my own eyes… it was completely different. I had left Forks knowing that she loved me, knowing that I loved her and that it was killing my family to be separated from her, while I left her with what?

Nothing.

I had left her alone in the woods after swearing that I didn't love her, that she was no more to me than a play thing to pass the time with; I made her think that my family thought the same of her and that their love had been just as false as my own.

How could I have done that too her, and than left her there? I had heard her crying for me as she stumble over roots and the forest's uneven ground but kept running, kept trying to bring me back. I didn't even have the decency to turn back and take her home, make sure she was safe with Charlie. Instead I ran, and fought with myself every minute of everyday not to look back - not to go back.

Yes, I hated myself totally and completely; but apparently I wasn't the only one who detested themselves today.

_I should have stayed and tried harder to convince her… maybe… maybe if I go back now I can talk to her, make her think more about it. _Demetri's thoughts were a ball of turmoil, anger, embarrassment and bitter disappointment; I could hear his feet dragging on the stone beneath him. _No, I can't do that. She's with Marcus. I heard her crying in his study – CRYING for god sake. She never allowed herself to be that free with me. Never truly let her guard down. _

_  
_I heard his steps come to a halt outside our door and take a deep breathe. _Damn! Edward's here. _"Out of my head, Cullen." He sneered, opening the door without knocking and his glaring eyes immediately sought me out.

Jasper pulled Alice behind him discreetly as he came into full contact with Demetri's emotions - anger and hostility being the main feelings raging through his body.

"Trust me when I say that if I could avoid being in your head, I would." I whispered back, looking at him blandly.

He regarded me silently, taking in my face and hunched position next to Esme on one of the sofas.

He sighed and his eyes turned pitying. "Get over it, Edward. Get over _her,_ she's lost from even you now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I spat back and immediately tried to pry open the steal shutters he had made around his mind.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss it, my masters will tell you if they see fit." His demeanor changed then and he once again became the hard faced Volturi guard he appeared to be. "Right now, I am to request your presence on behalf of Master Aro and Caius in the training room before I leave."

"Leave?' Carlisle inquired. "Who are you tracking this time? If you don't mind my asking."

"I'm not tracking anyone. I'm leaving Volterra and the guard." Demetri's voice was calm and controlled, not giving away any of his inner turmoil at all.

"Oh? And Aro is just letting you go?" Carlisle asked incredulously. _Aro doesn't let anyone go for nothing, especially one of Demetri's caliber. _

I gave Carlisle I sideways glance and nodded my head minutely before returning my attention back to Demetri.

"Yes, I am free to go and later return if I wish. Though Aro has requested that, should he need my help, I make myself available."

_And there's the catch._ Carlisle thought sympathetically. _He'll never be free of the Volturi, they will always keep track of him; always need his help for the most mundane things. They will hound him until he returns to their ranks. _Carlisle looked at me then. _Just like they'll never let Bella go without something in return. _

I dropped my head into my hands hopelessly. I knew that getting Bella back wouldn't be easy and the Volturi were just one of the biggest hurdles in my way.

"And what do you plan on doing with yourself now Demetri?" Esme asked curiously as she stood from the sofa and smoothed out the wrinkles in her deep purple slacks.

"Run, Ma'am." Was his instant reply.

Esme raised her eyebrows in shock of his brief answer but didn't query him more as she looked into the former guards eyes.

_He's hurting… there's so much pain in his eyes. _She glanced at me briefly before pulling me up by the hand as you would a small child. _He's running from something, do you know what? _I shook my head as my family moved toward the door where Demetri was hovering impatiently. _Do you think it could be Bella he's running from? _I didn't even have to think about my answer before I nodded at my mother.

His thoughts gave away his hurt and confusion as he strode down the hall on his way here, with Bella being the epicenter of it all. There was no doubt in my mind that she had rejected him in some way and he was too proud to stay and face her again.

"If you would hurry Edward I would appreciate it, we have to collected the Denali's on the way and I need to leave as soon as possible."

_Yes, _I thought to myself as he turned his back and walked briskly down the hall with my family in tow. _He's defiantly running from her. _

Demetri knocked briefly and impatiently on the Denali's door once we had arrived. He was still eager to leave soon and all these last minute errands Aro had sent him on were testing his nerves and trying his patients. Tanya took just that little bit too long to answer the door, and Demetri lost it. He growled and banged furiously on the door.

"Answer the damn door, Tanya!" He shouted, his breathing now heavy and erratic.

"Oh for gods sake!" I heard Tanya's muffled voice moments before she ripped the door was opened to reveal her partially naked body and damp hair. "Give a girl a break will you muscles, I was in the shower." She hissed indignantly at Demetri, whilst buttoning her shirt up.

"I'm in a hurry and you and your family are wanted in the training room." He hissed back, barging past Tanya and into the suite where he proceeded to bang on all the rooms inside, drawing the rest of the Denali clan, and Garret, out and away from their activities.

"What's wrong with him?" Tanya asked as she walked to my side and clung to my arm. I made no effort to remove myself from her grip, an action that didn't go unnoticed by her. _Finally realizing that we're meant for each other are we, Edward?_

I sighed petulantly and ignored her, watching with amusement as Kate appeared through the doorway with a disheveled mop of hair that she was desperately trying to fix.

"Oh, Kate! You sly dog!" Emmett boomed, looking back and forth from Kate to Garrett.

"Shut up, Emmett." Kate grumbled whilst ducking her head in embarrassment and walking away down the hall. Garrett, who was smiling smugly, followed closely behind her.

Demetri shot down the hall, passing Kate and Garrett, and waited at the end of the hallway for us. My family and I didn't make him wait long as we picked up the pace so as not to irritate him further.

Demetri turned left, not looking back to see if we had followed, and continued toward rather large staircase that was bustling vampires up and down. At Demetri's approach they gave him a wide berth and cleared a path for us all before heading in what appeared to be the same destination as our little party. Everyone in the hall was excited and quite anxious to see how much strength Bella possessed. More often then not there was a passing thought of whether there would be more drama between my family and her, they all seemed to revel in the idea and the atmosphere grew.

I looked toward Jasper and noticed that his hands were shaking and that, instead of Alice bouncing while Jasper tried to calm her, my sister was in fact holding tightly to his arm in an effort to keep him grounded. I chuckled lightly and tried to cover it as a cough when Alice turned and glared at me.

_I'd like to see you do better, Edward. _She thought as Jaspers bouncing ran through her body, making her quiver slightly.

I laughed out loud this time, which quickly drew Tanya and Esme's attention to Alice's situation. Tanya laughed pityingly at Alice who now looked rather self-conscious by the display her husband was making. Esme took pity on her daughter as Jasper started to gain some of the other vampires attention and walked over to Jasper, placed her hand on her arm and tried to calm him as much as possible using only her personality and her own sense of calm. It took a few seconds before Jasper's hands stopped shaking and the ball of his feet were finally firmly planted to the stone beneath them. He sent a thankful smile to Esme before whispering an apology to a very relieved looking Alice and kissing her temple.

I immediately became jealous. Not because Jasper was kissing and touching Alice but because he _could _kiss his love and he _could _touch his mate of his own free will. He, and the others in my family, were able to touch, feel, comfort, love and lust freely after their mates while I had to bottle mine up and push them down, all because of what I had said. Because of what I had done and how I had made my _mate_ feel. I had pushed her into the arms of another and now… I feared that I wouldn't be able to get her back.

I didn't think I deserved her, but Marcus didn't deserve her either. He had had his happy years with Didyme, shared wonderful memories, chaste kisses, and flirtatious touches. He had decades of that, decades of time spent in the sole company of his mate. Whilst I had only a few months.

Vampires continued to breeze past us as they rushed toward the training room that was located a few floors below my feet. I took no notice of my surroundings, not the playful teasing that was taking place between Kate and Emmett, took no notice of Tanya's whiny voice in my ear or Carlisle and Esme's sympathetic thoughts. I concentrated on my own thoughts as best I could, pushing aside the moments I had shared with Bella in Forks and dwelled on who she was now. I tried desperately to think of how I could get close to her. I needed her to trust me, to let me in so I could explain what I did but I just couldn't see how. She either ran from the room when I was present or scolded and demeaned me whilst clinging of Marcus or Aro. But it wasn't just Bella I had to get around, I had to work my way around Aro and Marcus as well as Felix. Demetri would no longer be an optical as he was leaving but his leaving wouldn't help me break the other barriers that stood in my way down. In fact Demetri's leaving could hinder my progress and make my efforts a hell of a lot harder.

I shook my head in exasperation and sucked in a heavy breath. My head snapped up and my eyes shot around the corridor we were now in. Freesia. She was close I could smell her.

_Edward? _Carlisle concern leaked through and into my mind.

I ignored him and concentrated on my hearing as I continued to walk down the hall. Suddenly low but very fast, almost too fast, footsteps reached my ears and I spun around, ripping Tanya's hand from my arm. Bella appeared behind us the same instant I spun around. She didn't seem to realize we were there until the last second when she suddenly jumped up and over Kate's head twisting herself in midair at the last second before landing gracefully on the ground on her own to feet.

Kate and the rest of us all stood frozen for a second as Bella's excited eyes scanned our faces. She smiled at Kate.

"I'm sorry Kate, I didn't look where I was going." She said as she elegantly pulled her self out of the slight crouch she had landed in. It was then that I noticed that she was only dressed in a pale pink sports bra and a pair of yoga pants with her hair tied in a mangled knot at the base of her neck. She had an old pair of worn out All Stars on her feet that didn't seem to match the rest of the designer clothing.

I felt my eyes bulge slightly at the smooth creamy expanse of skin along her torso and arms but quickly averted my gaze and cleared my throat. She didn't pay me any heed and kept her eyes focused solely on Kate.

"Don't worry about it Isabella," Kate said waving off Bella's apology with a small chuckle. "I didn't even hear you coming."

Bella's musical laugh rang through the air like crystal. "I doubt anyone could have seen me coming let alone hear me, Kate. I am the fastest vampire in the guard, Heidi is a close second, isn't she Demetri?" She asked, acknowledging the dejected vampire for the first time.

"Indeed, Isabella." He answered as politely as he could. But both Bella and I picked up on the strain that made its way through and she looked at him worriedly.

He looked back at her steadily but said nothing, opting instead to become as stoic as a stone statue in a matter of seconds.

Bella ignored him momentarily and returned her attention to Kate, apologizing again.

"Forget it, Isabella. It happens all the time." She joked and motioned to me; Bella's eyes flicked to me for a second before Tanya abrupt and nasally laughter pierced the air.

Bella flinched back and put her hands over her ears before she started to groan dramatically. Carlisle and I were instantly worried that something had happened to her but a small smile appeared on Alice's face and I instantly relaxed.

"God, I thought all vampires laughs sounded like bells, not chainsaws." Bella moaned and recoiled slightly.

I stifled a laugh at Tanya expense and so did most of my family and hers, except for Emmett and Jasper who were almost sent to the ground with howling laughter. Tanya hissed indignantly at my brothers but otherwise ignored Bella's teasing.

Bella removed her hands from her ears and eyed Tanya mischievously, her eyes briefly landing on Tanya's grip on my arm. "I do hope your planning on volunteering today Tanya." She sneered, staring directly into Tanya hard gold eyes.

"Volunteering?" Tanya asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion as her hands tightened their grip on my bicep.

"Yes, Vol-un-ter-ing. Ever heard of it? No? Well I'll tell you." Again Emmett's booming laughter enveloped my ears, followed closing by the smack of Rosalie's hand making contact with his head. "Every training session I take on a few vampires one-on-one, others choose to take up arms and come at me as a group, but that doesn't matter, I always win." Bella shrugged like it wasn't a big deal, which in fact it was. Many of the guard were over a hundred years old and had been with the Volturi for most of their vampiric lifes, having trained through decades upon decades of drill and styles, and Bella, a 6 month old newborn, could beat them all. And in groups no less. "Having vampires that aren't apart of the guard gives me an opportunity to test myself against others I don't know anything about. So I'm hoping you'll volunteer to get your ass kicked since someone has to do it, and I'm the only one with the balls too."

"Why you little wretch-"

"Isabella?" Caius' angry voice interrupted. We all turned to look at the ancient who stood at the end of the hall, staring heatedly at my smiling angel.

"Yes, Caius?" She sang sweetly, not at all disturbed by his anger.

"You're late, and I find you standing around chatting to old _friends_, that's what is wrong." He spat furiously. "Get a move on." He stared at her for another second and then disappeared.

Bella rolled her eyes at the place where Caius had disappeared before turning her attention to Demetri.

"You coming D?"

"No. You go on ahead though, I have to finish talking to Carlisle and Esme." He smiled at her.

And although I'm sure Bella knew that something was wrong by the look in her eyes, she let it go and disappeared down the hall without another word.

Demetri sighed and ran his hands over his face. I tried to tune into his mind but he was either blocking me rather successfully, or completely preoccupied by the regret he was feeling toward Bella.

"Does my old master teach Isabella to fight himself?" Eleazar inquired curiously.

Demetri took a second longer to gather himself before walking at a rather slow human pace. "Yes, Caius teaches her how to fight and defeat, as well as battle strategy. Aro concentrates on the history of our kind and what part we play in the human world, along with literature, the arts, he also conducts her talent training. Felix is the one who teaches her evasion, how to lay false trails, quick disposal of other vampires, that sort of thing. Jane is Isabella's favorite practice dummy; as you may have noticed they're not very fond of each other. I taught Isabella dance and music - I suppose Santiago will be teaching her that now." He mumbled to himself.

"And what of Marcus?" Esme asked, watching his face intently. Demetri's face clouded over with anger and some resentment. "What does he teach her?" Esme continued to press the subject.

"Master Marcus doesn't really contribute much to her education. He keeps her company and helps her keep on task, offering advice or pointers here and there. He rarely attends training sessions though that may have changed now that the situation is more… complicated."

"Does she know of the Southern Wars?" Jasper asked quietly, fearing that Bella knew of his involvement.

Though Jasper and Bella had never been close when she was human, mainly due to my overly cautious ways, he stilled cared for her a great deal and wished to know her better. Bella's knowledge of the Southern Wars and his involvement in them would, in Jasper's eyes, be of great discomfort to her and a sore topic for him to explain.

"If your asking whether she knows of your actions during that time and your maker, Whitlock, I believe she is well aware…" He paused, looking over his shoulder as Jaspers' eyes lowered to the ground with shame. "She is proud of you." Jasper's eyes shot up to Demetri but the guard had already turned around and continued talking to the air before his face as the rest of us listen with rapt attention.

A faint picture of a sunbathed balcony high above the city entered my mind. Bella sat in the middle of a rainbow of fluffy cushions, dressed in white and cradling an old book in her lap. Her still human fingers traced the inscriptions and inked pictures with a look of awe and sadness crossing her face, her brown eyes full to the brim with tears she refused to let fall.

"_Do you understand now? Understand why he refused to come close to you? Why it is harder for him then the others?" Aro appeared in the memory sitting across from her, his skin sparkling in the light and reflecting off Bella's warm, pale hands. _

_She nodded wordlessly and cleared her throat. "Poor Jasper. I always thought he kept his distance because he hated me, not because he had a harder time then the others, not because of this..." She croaked, turning a page in the old book. "He had such a hard start to his immortal life, but he's come so far since then, look at all he's accomplished, not only in the southern wars but everything since." _

_The tears finally started to fall from her eyes and cascading down her cheeks. Aro moved from his seat and pulled Bella back into his chest, the book falling limply beside them and he comforted her. _

"_Even though he never came close he was still my brother!" Bella cried, the tears now coming tenfold. _

_Everything was silent for a few moments as Bella cried. Her tears started to slow but it was like she wasn't their anymore, just empty. _

"_Isabella?" Aro called to her, shaking her fragile frame gently. _

_She looked at him blankly for a moment. "He left me too." She whispered before passing out. _

"Despite what pain you inflicted on her Jasper, both before and after you left," Demetri's voice rang into my ears and pulled me from his mind. "She was proud of you for all you did in the wars, especially finding the strength to escape Maria." Demetri looked over his shoulder once again as we rounded the corner and were forced to a halt by a huge crowd that had gathered around a steel framed doorway. Growling and hissing could be heard from inside the room but we could see nothing over the heads of all the jostling vampires. "She loved you. Goodbye." Demetri turned and was about to head back down the hall when Aro appeared and grabbed his shoulder.

"Marcus wants to speak with you before you leave." Aro said politely, and motioned with his free hand down the opposite corridor where Marcus stood at the end, staring.

Demetri eyed Marcus but huffed and shrugged Aro's hand off before heading in the ancients directions wordlessly while his mind spewed a slew of curses in Marcus's direction.

"Such a pity." I looked back at Aro to see him shaking his head lightly while looking at Demetri's retreating figure with longing. He had always been a collector of gifts and Demetri was the best tracker Aro had ever come across. "oh well!" The ancient suddenly exclaimed, clapping his hands a turning his attention to my family and I, his voice overly cheery despite loosing such a talent. "Come now, you must be so excited to see Isabella fight before you leave today."

"We're not leaving today Aro, my friend." Carlisle said gently as he walked through the parting vampires.

Caius' roaring voice could be heard now as he scolded my love. 

"Not leaving?" Aro questioned, raising his eyebrow in false surprise. He knew we wouldn't leave the city just because Bella had asked, Aro's thoughts revealed that he knew we intended to win her back one way or another but he was confident we would fail. My anger flared but I kept my mouth shut, speaking would only get me in more trouble. "You're defying my daughters request?"

"Respectfully, yes." Carlisle answered calming, refusing to take Aro's bait. Carlisle's temper did flare but Jasper kept it under control but no malice thoughts entered my father's head. I was puzzled for a moment but then realized that, if Aro touched him and saw any malice thoughts or intents it would seem like treachery to the territorial ancient. Old friends or not, Aro wouldn't take kindly to momentary insult. "We love Bella, as I'm sure you know Aro," Carlisle continued in his controlled voice as he took one of the seats set aside for himself and Esme along the sidewall of the training room. "and we would like to get to know her and help her as much as possible."

The training room, I observed, was completely covered in steel. All the walls, floor and even the ceiling has thick steel over the top of the original stonework. It appeared that Bella quiet enjoyed throwing people into them, Caius on the other hand wasn't so appreciative of her habit as it was reveled when Bella, good-naturedly, pushed Felix too hard and he smacked into the far wall, leaving a hulk shaped dint behind him.

Felix, Bella and Emmett all burst into hysterics, as did many of the crowd, whilst they all inspected the damage.

"Not the worst you've done Issy but still pretty good." Felix said, slapping his knees with his hand.

Bella nodded in agreement and returned to the centre of the room, ignoring Caius as his red face completely as she walked past.

"What's the best she's done?" A little Irish voice said and I turned to see Maggie sitting on the edge of the group on the opposite side of the room. She waved ecstatically at me when I caught her eyes and I waved back. She was always up for a bit of fun and mischief whenever we saw her so she was great friends with Emmett and Jasper, but she loved music like I did so we often played together on her visits.

Bella noticed Maggie's waving and followed her line of sight until she locked eyes with mine. Her fiery eyes were alight with happiness and humor, I smiled at her but she didn't reciprocate, instead letting her eyes turn down and stared pointedly at Tanya's hand that was still wrapped around my arm. Tanya, noticing the exchange hissed gently at Bella and wrapped another hand around my arm, pulling herself closer to me. I gently tried to extract myself but to no avail and watched as Bella, her eyes now filled with disgust, turned back to Felix who was regaling everyone with Bella's best shots.

"…But the best one by far happened last week when Jane pinned Isabella to the ground and tried to bite her," He howled with laughter at the memory. "and she came damn close to marking her too, I'll tell ya." He bent over laughing again when Bella's faced turned pouty at the slight.

"She wasn't that close." My angel sulked.

"Oh yes she was, babe! Almost marred the skin on your pretty shoulder she did!" Felix roared back.

"Even if she was that close," Bella smiled wickedly. "It doesn't matter anyway. I got her good before she could get me." She leered as she turned her face upward and stared at the ceiling.

Everyone followed her gaze, and burst into an amused and awed laughter when our eyes fell upon the very deep and obviously Jane shaped hole that was made in the ceiling. The steel had even fragmented away from the vault ceiling and the dark grey of ancient stone beneath was now visible. It was by far the deepest hole in the entire room, and it was on the ceiling of all places.

Jane glared at Bella and Felix from her place beside Caius.

"Can we get on with the training now?" She snapped angrily.

"We're waiting on Demetri incase you've forgotten Jane." Bella said absentmindedly as she watched Felix continue to regale the crowd with Jane's latest embarrassment.

"Demetri isn't coming Isabella," Caius said. Bella's head snapped in his direction, her eyes wide with confusion. "so I suggest we get started with someone else in his place."

Bella simply shook her head and turned to face my family, searching for Demetri's face among us. When she realized that he wasn't there she began to search the rest of the crowd, pivoting on the spot as she did so.

The room became quiet as Bella's panic and confusion started to become more obvious. Felix noticed only when the crowd's attention was drawn away from him and immediately went to her side and placing his hand on her arm.

"Iz-"

"Where is he?" Bella hissed, cutting Felix off and ripping his hand from her arm. "I said WHERE IS HE?" She roared when no one answered her.

I watched helplessly as she scanned the crowd one last time before locking eyes with Aro who still stood with Carlisle. She looked so confused and hurt, but Jasper detected that she felt worried and guilty as well. As Bella's breathing started to pick up I unknowingly stepped forward away from the crowd and walked slowly toward her.

_Be careful, Edward, she's unstable at the moment… _Carlisle's mind warned me along with my family's similar testaments.

_She doesn't know he's leaving Edward, _Aro's thoughts now came to the forefront of my mind as Bella finally took notice of my advance, her body stiffening noticeably. _She won't take it well. My brothers and I were waiting until after he left to tell her the news. She won't take another loved ones leaving lightly. _

I knew that already. It was obvious with how she had interacted with Demetri before that she had been oblivious to what was happening, but she needed to know and no matter what reason Demetri was leaving she deserved to try and fix whatever conflict they had and say goodbye. I may not like the older vampire very much but my Bella was hurting and this was the only way I knew to stop the hurt - even if it was only temporary.

I was only a mere meter from her stiff, hostile form, about to enlighten her to a situation she had a right to know about from the very start when a the loud smash of wood hitting stone resonated around the castle. The smashing of the door was closely followed by the yelling voices all knew to belong to Marcus and Demetri.

"No! I will not stay!" Demetri roared. Everyone quickly turned to look out of the doors of the training room and toward the end of the corridor. Marcus and Demetri's quick and determined footsteps could be heard approaching that area and Bella quickly started to push through the thick crowd with a complete mask of confusion covering her face.

"Isabella?" Aro called quickly following after her with a few mumbled curses.

Carlisle, Jasper and I were quick to follow him and waded our way through the crowd, as the yelling grew louder.

"What would make you think that I would stay to watch you…you _fornicate_ with the women I love?!" Demetri screamed, presumably at Marcus and I saw Bella freeze where she stood amongst the crowd.

Aro wrapped a fatherly arm around her and whispered reassurances of some kind in her ear, trying to draw her away from his brother and former guard, she wouldn't budge an inch and stood frozen as Marcus began to yell.

"For her sake and for mine you will stay! She may not love you the way you love her but she still needs you. You give her a sense of comfort and freedom that I do not, you are her friend Demetri, and she needs you now more then ever."

"I cannot stay here in these godforsaken walls for the rest of time watching her fall for you! I refuse to stay here any longer." Demetri yelled back just as he became visible at the end of the corridor.

Bella broke free of Aro's grasp and ran through the rest of the crowd, only stopping once she had broken through and stood before them. Demetri sensed that she was there and stopped, looking down the hall at her. His face was twisted with anger but upon seeing her morphed into something else, something heartbreaking and for the first time I felt sorry for him. I knew what it was like to walk away from this wonderful girl and I briefly wondered if this was how broken and empty I had looked to my family when I saw them briefly afterward.

I walked slowly up behind her as her shoulders began to shake with emotion. Jasper gasped slightly behind me as he came closer to her but made no move to help her cope, for which I briefly hated him for until I realized that he was doing the right thing. She deserved to feel her own emotions and cope with them however she was capable instead of having an empath suppress them until he had left her presence.

"Bella?" I whispered as my hand came to rest on her shoulder lightly.

As soon as I felt the tingle of contact between us she through her shield out behind her and flung me away, Carlisle caught me before I hit the ground but I almost wished that he hadn't. At least then I would have had a chance of hurting physically instead of emotionally at yet another rejection from the girl who held my frozen heart.

I had just regained my balance when Marcus came striding around the corner unaware of the audience and grabbed Demetri's arm, spinning the ex-guard until they were face to face.

"I order you to stay as is my right as ruler of the Volturi." Marcus hissed, still holding onto Demetri's arm tightly.

Demetri growled in rage. "You are no longer my master." He spat, sending shock waves through the crowd as he punched Marcus in the chest with the palm of his hand and sent the ancient sprawling.

Bella let out a shocked cry and dashed down the hall, toward Demetri as Carlisle, Aro and Caius all ran to Marcus' side. Marcus rejected their help of course and pushed himself to his feet. Carlisle put a restraining hand on his once hollow friend as Marcus stepped forward, his thoughts intent on killing the disrespectful brute. That was until he saw Bella push Demetri against a wall.

"What is wrong with you?" She screamed at him. "What gives you the right to hit him?"

Demetri growled as he brushed the dust off of his clothes, now staring at her with black eyes.

"I have every right!" He roared at her, stepping closer and closing the space between them. Bella didn't move as he came closer and didn't flinch as he roughly grabbed her face between his fingers and started to yell once again. "He took you from me! And now I am left with nothing!"

I growled and stepped forward to rip Demetri's hands from her face but Marcus rushed past me; Carlisle having let him go with a growl of his own.

Marcus grabbed Demetri's hand, twisted it backward at an odd angle and then began to dig his nails into Demetri's throat.

"Never put your filthy hands on my mate again!"

My world froze. My mind, for once, went completely blank and there was a brief moment of silence in my head as I tried and failed to comprehend what Marcus had said.

He had claimed her.

Marcus had claimed _my_ one and only as _his_ mate.

I looked shocked and stunned toward Bella, expecting her to make some sort of denial. I was disappointed however as she did nothing to deny it as everyone stared.

My frozen heart cracked a little more.

Bella acted as though she didn't here Marcus' words as she stepped forward calmly, if not numbly, and placed her hand on top of his, where it was still squeezing Demetri's throat, the sounds of snapping bones could be heard as Marcus continued to tighten his grip even as Bella pulled.

Demetri gasped in pain, struggling uselessly against the ancients great strength in order to be released before he no longer had a head.

"Let him go, Marcus." Bella pleaded calmly.

Marcus' grip loosened only slightly and his eyes moved to her face for a few seconds as she pleaded with him again.

"Let him go please? He's not worth the effort."

Demetri gasped again, but this time it wasn't due to the pain his body was going through but an emotional pain so great that Jasper took a few steps back and various smiling and happy pictures of Bella flooded my mind with a tidal wave. Hit after hit of memories assaulted my brain as Demetri's eyes began to fill with venom and Marcus' hand loosened under the weight of Bella's words.

I grasped the sides of my head as the pictures began to overrun my mind and eyes. I could barely see as Marcus released Demetri slowly, and took a step back only to wrap his hands around Bella's waist. Demetri's mind became a blank slate as Bella molded herself to Marcus' chest. Her vibrant red eyes hard as she stared back at him, with only the faintest glimmer of sadness to be found.

"The Volturi morn the lose of your gift Demetri but if you do not wish to stay, for whatever reason you have, we will not stop you." She said mechanically, her voice overly formal given the past few minutes. Her melodic voice sounded so monotones and empty that it hurt my still stunned ears to hear. "You are free to go and are free of any and all… obligation you have to us."

_She means obligation to her. I have no obligation to her._ Demetri's hurt mind repeated, trying to convince himself more then anything. _I have nothing left here… so why can't I walk away? _

Indeed he seemed frozen to the spot, unable to move away from this place and everything it held inside it, but her eyes however cold and cruel they now seemed to everyone in the room held him in place for many awkward seconds. Then she broke the contact, her eyes shifting down to where Marcus had just intertwined their finger. A small smiled appeared on her face as she gazed at them, his thumb brushing encouragingly across her skin, though she was unaware as I was that this action was to calm himself more then it was to calm or encourage her. Demetri growled a little and took a step toward her, his hand reaching for her –

SMACK!

Bella's hand snapped out from Marcus' and slapped Demetri's away with a defining crack. Many in the room gasped at the sudden movement watching in both horror and great sadness as Bella's cover began to crack and the venom sprung back into her eyes.

"LEAVE!" She screamed.

She had barely finished the word when he disappeared. Demetri ran down the hall with his thoughts in a cloud of turmoil and grief. Everyone stood frozen until his footsteps could no longer be heard, and I could no longer hear his pained thoughts, before their attention returned to Bella and Marcus.

Bella was visibly shaken and she continued to stare at the space her friend once stood and Marcus' thoughts grew more worried as he watched her. Slowly, so as not to upset her, Marcus turned her body away and hugged her to his chest.

They stayed there for a few silent moments completely oblivious to anyone of the bated audience. Marcus' thoughts centered on her and only her, whilst she still seemed to be in some sort of shock.

"I'm sorry." He whispered so softly that I almost missed it. "I was tryi-"

"I know Marcus, I know what you were trying to do but you shouldn't have." Bella whispered back just as lightly as she began to pull away from him. "He was free to go without a hassle, we don't keep guards here as though they're prisoners. Just because he was my friend didn't take the right of freedom from him."

She pulled away completely now and began to walk back down the hall toward the training room.

I thought she was going to walk past me without a word of acknowledgement like every other time but shocked me when she stopped just to my left and looked at me. I tried to smile at her, feeling a small flame of hope start in my heart as she reached up and, lightly with only the tips of her fingers, brushed the skin of my neck.

"Call me Bella again and I'll have your head."

I couldn't help but chuckle as she walked away.


	13. Chapter 12: Undefeated

**Chapter Twelve: Undefeated**

**Rosalie's POV**

Edward chuckled almost manically as Bella walked away. I couldn't understand why he was chuckling, she had just threatened his life and he stood there laughing at her which only made her anger flare. I saw her roll her eyes incredulously as she walked past Emmett and myself and began to wade through the crowd back into the steel box they called a 'training room'.

Everyone had slowly turned and began to file back into the room when Edward appeared at my side, still chuckling under his breath.

"You're a complete idiot; I hope you know that." I hissed at him.

"Why? Because for once in the last three years, I'm laughing?" He asked scornfully, all traces of his amusement now gone as his anger began to take hold. "Forgive me, Rose, but I have just witnessed the claiming of my own mate by someone other than myself, so I may be just a little cynical in the light of things."

"You truly are an idiot, Edward." I sighed, placing a hand on his arm and pulling him aside and out of the crowd as they continued to file into the room to watch the show. I faintly heard my monkey of a husband start whooping in joy. "I wasn't talking about you laughing, although that certainly was an idiotic move on your behalf. I was talking about Marcus and Bella," I whispered so that no one, Marcus and his brothers in particular, could over hear us. "You noticed that she didn't say anything after he said the she was his, right?" Obviously I was still speaking too loudly as Edward's eyes shifted to the right and looked straight at Marcus who was making no effort to hide the fact that he was eavesdropping. He turned away after a moment and glided through the doorway.

"Of course I noticed Rosalie; what idiot didn't?" He asked rhetorically.

_And you take her silence as an affirmative? That because she wasn't denying it, it must be true?_ I asked silently.

"What else could it mean, Rose?" He exclaimed hopelessly, throwing his hands in the air with exasperated. "She didn't say no, so obviously she doesn't object to the notion of being mated with him-"

_She didn't say yes either dummy, _My mind hissed at him. His hand that had been running through his hair in irritation froze and his eyes fixed on me. _She may not have denied the relationship, Edward, but she didn't confirm it either. You weren't looking at her when he said it; you looked at her after he said it didn't you? _He nodded silently, looking strangely numb as he continued to stare. _Well I was looking at her the whole time. _I sighed both mentally and physically, finding the next part of my speech hard to say, or think._ The way Demetri grabbed her was very much like the way Royce grabbed me. _Edward and I both flinched as the memory of that night and that very same movement my fiancé had made flashed through my mind. _When Carlisle let Marcus go and he pushed Demetri away I continued to look at her, trying to see if there was any panic in her face, if she was at all scared like I had been, but there was nothing there. She showed a small amount of relief, but I don't think she was totally accepting what was happening. When Marcus called her his mate… she looked at you. _His eyes widened fractionally and his head began to move slowly back and forth as he shook it in confusion. _It was only for a second before she turned her attention back to him but she _looked,_ Edward! It's like I've been saying all along. _I grasped his forearms and squeezed reassuringly as I tried to make him understand that Bella wasn't as lost to him as he thought._ She may not consciously think of you as a mate, but as soon as that word is said, her mind – and her eyes – go to you. You've hurt her, Edward, and that is the only thing holding her back. You have to find some way to fix this and fast, otherwise she is going to accept what I'm sure to her seems to be the inevitable – an eternity with Marcus. _

"What do you care, Rose?" Edward asked, confusion still marring his face. "Why would you care what happens to her or who she ends up with? You've never liked her before, and you certainly don't seem to like her now. And as for me? Well, you and I have never seen eye to eye on anything, so why are you helping me see something that may or may not be there? Making me see things that may help to get her back with me and our family when you don't want her there?"

I lowered my eyes in shame and spoke low, making my voice as light as the air I breathed so Edward had to bend closer to me to hear. "I may not have cared for her in the past, and I may have been happy when she was gone at first, but since then I have come to realize that we're not whole without her." I looked up at him then and felt the venom pooling in my eyes; I tried to blink them back, but it didn't work. "You've always been alone, Edward, and when someone you wanted to be with came into our lives… I didn't want to accept it. You know I don't like change, and bringing a human into the family was a very big and sudden change for me to handle. Not only that, but I knew you would eventually have to change her, and I didn't want that for her. I would never have chosen this life for myself unless it had been Emmett who had asked me to change for him; I didn't want her to end up like me – like us – as much as you did, but I wasn't blind to what would need to happen like you were." I placed my hands gently on his arms and squeezed reassuringly. "She's part of this family even when she's not here, and I accept that now. We need you, you need her, and I…I guess I love her. She's my sister, and she needs to be with my brother, not some paper thin rotting piece of corpse," I choked.

Edward laughed lightly and gave me a brief hug. "Thank you, Rose," He mumbled into my hair. "I still can't accept that you're right about Bella and her feelings but… you're getting me there. I think I just need to talk to her alone."

"Yes, you do. But how you're going to get her on her own is the problem; she never seems to be alone."

"I've noticed," Edward said bitterly. He opened his mouth to say something else but then his head swung around to the training room. "Not going to happen, Jasper," He muttered angrily and stormed off. I followed behind him, confused and exasperated with Edward and Alice's constant habit of holding private conversations, but after more then 50 years with them, I was used to it and didn't bother to ask what was happening, knowing I probably wouldn't get an answer.

Edward and I began to weave our way through the bustle of people, Edward going at a slightly faster pace than me, and heading toward Jasper, who was walking away from our parents, whilst I found Emmett and wrapped my arms around him. His arms immediately wound themselves around me while he continued to talk to Siobhan; his hands rested in the curve of my waist, and I closed my eyes for a moment just to revel in the comfort and calm my husbands' touch brought me.

"Jasper." I heard Edward growl lowly, interrupting my musings and forcing my attention his way.

Edward had his hand wrapped tightly around Jaspers' forearm, and his eyes had started to darken with anger. Alice immediately abandoned her conversation with Chelsea and moved to her mates' side. She called Edward's name in warning and successfully gained some of the other vampires' attention as well. Carlisle and Esme turned to watch their sons, whilst Emmett and Siobhan did the same. Caius, Aro and Bella also turned away from their heated conversation to look.

Jasper and Edward didn't say anything for a long time, but the signs of silent conversation were clear on Edward's face: his eyes and lips the only things moving to communicate his obvious displeasure. After a minute or so of staring, Bella turned away and started to argue with Caius about who was to take Demetri's place in her training. When Jasper made to pull away from Edward, and took a step in Bella's direction, wanting to volunteer for the job no doubt, I saw Edward's hand clamp down on Jasper's arm once again and sense more than saw Jasper's irritation.

"For god's sake, Edward, I'm not going to hurt her!" Jasper snarled as, Alice's hand came to rest on his shoulder to ground him.

I felt Emmett release an exasperated sigh and saw him drop his head into his free hand before moving away from me and walking up behind Edward.

"I don't care," Edward growled looking at Jasper but sounding as though he was addressing Emmett as well.

"Dude, just let him have a go. You should be more worried about me volunteering for the job than Jaz; you know how rough I like it, bro," Emmett joked, though I could see the tension in his shoulders.

No doubt he was worried about Edward's control and mental condition like I was. Edward had been away from us for so long without feeding or companionship, and we were all worried about how much he could take before he exploded. We were waiting for it really, which is why Esme and Carlisle didn't leave him alone if they could help it.

Jasper smirked at Emmett, acknowledging his joke but not turning his attention away from Edward entirely.

_Emmett's right, Edward, _I thought directly to him._ Jasper is the most experienced of us and has the most control over this part of ourselves; he could teach her a lot, _I continued in my mind though Edward gave no sign of hearing me. _Besides, I think you and I both know that this is Jasper's way of trying to make what happened at her birthday up to her. He wants to help her, help teach her to protect herself. Let him go and help her; he's your brother, and you can trust him more than any of the Volturi scum they choose. _

I saw the fight leave Edward shoulders as he began to see my reasoning and his fingers loosened on Jasper's arm-

"I'd be happy to help out," Tanya called into the tense silence that had fallen in the room.

Bella scoffed and raised her eyebrows at my cousin. I laughed too because Tanya was actually taking the bait. Bella knew what she was doing, clearly, and she had the talent to overpower Tanya and had been purposefully baiting her out in the hall and Tanya was stupid enough to fall for it.

"Tanya," Edward sighed, not trying to stop her like he had Jasper, just simply verbalizing his irritation at her presence stating his irritation that her presence; she didn't understand.

"Oh calm yourself, Edward," she laughed as she stepped into the middle of the room a few meters from Felix. "I've got more than a thousand years of experience on her; she won't even make a scratch."

Tanya had made a critical mistake that even I could see. She turned her back to Bella, insulting the newborn whilst addressing Edward as if he cared for her, and Bella took advantage of the opportunity.

I watched as Bella crouched quickly, bunching her leg muscles and pushing herself off the stone floor hard and fast. Jasper barely had time to move out of her way and Edward only just managed to grab Emmett by the collar of his shirt and pull him out of firing range. Tanya's response time was slow; she only just started to turn as Bella slammed into her side, sending them both to the ground.

Emmett was at my side in an instant, pulling me securely to his side as a smile the size of china spread across his face. I smiled ruefully for a moment at his childish joy before turning my attention back to the fight.

Tanya was wriggling like a cat, trying to turn on her back and get her arms between Bella and herself. After a few moments of struggling and hissing, she successfully made it onto her back but lost the advantage when Bella grabbed both her hands and pinned them next to her shoulders, immediately going for Tanya's jugular. I saw the momentary panic on Tanya's face as Bella's teeth flashed brightly in her line of sight. She was just able to move her head to the side in time to miss the blow. Quickly managing to get a leg between herself and Bella, Tanya pushed on Bella's stomach causing Bella to slide backwards and onto her feet. In the time it took Bella to regain her bearings, Tanya was stumbling to get up, panicking in her haste and never taking her eyes off her opponent.

Bella dropped into a crouch and hissed with impatience for Tanya to get to her feet. That's when I noticed the blank expression on Bella's face. Something looked wrong, disturbingly wrong. Although her hissing and snarling betrayed her impatience and anger, her face was abnormally blank. Her eyes were entirely black now with no trace of the blood I had watched her consume the night before showing in them. But it was more then that; they were… clouded somehow, not like the Ancients with their hazy white film, but clouded with emotion. An emotion I could not place because something so… dark, so angry had never made itself known on her face before.

I had seen newborns with my own eyes, and on their best day, they were nothing like Bella. Not as controlled and focused, but instead suffering from severe bloodlust and in near constant pain because their thirst in unquenchable. Bella was the exact opposite, or at least I had thought she was until now. Bella's behavior - the aggressiveness, the impatience, the need for dominance over another being - was all common behavior for newborns, and for those reasons, they were hard to control for the only thing that could distract them from dominating a target was blood. And at this very moment, looking upon the rage and resentment Bella, my sister, was displaying, I doubted that anything short of her singers blood would dissuade her from taking Tanya down.

"Come on, Tanya!" Bella growled, egging my cousin on as she slowly got to her feet and crouched defensively. "Is that all you've got?" Bella continued to taunt.

"Ever heard of a fair fight, Isabella?" Tanya spat as she regained some of her decorum, meaningfully ignoring Bella's taunting.

Although Tanya would never admit it and the outward signs of hurt were harder to spot on her because she masks her emotions so well, I knew Tanya, and I knew that Bella's cocky teasing was wounding her ego more than she was willing to admit to herself.

"Yes, actually I have," Bella sneered. She had a mischievous glint in her eyes that I recognized from the look my husband often got, and I knew that the teasing and humiliation Tanya was going through was about to get worse before it got better… and yet I didn't do anything to stop Bella, nor did anyone else.

Looking around briefly at the faces surrounding me, family member or not, I noticed their faces were all showing signs of resignation, smugness, amusement and impatience. Tanya had been a snobby thorn in their side for far too long now, always holding herself over people's heads because of the way she lived, because she was a succubus, and because she was very religious about upholding the law. Now she was finally getting knocked off her pedestal, and everyone couldn't be happier about it.

I felt strangely guilty, leaving my cousin to fend for herself. She was family and I took care of my own, but once I saw the resignation on Carlisle's face, I knew that by standing back I was doing the right thing. She needed to know that just because of our diet, what she was and how strictly she upheld the rules, along with many other traits she held in high regard, didn't give her the right to treat people the way she did. And Bella, I quickly realized, was the right person to show Tanya just how low she could fall. With Bella being a newborn, she was considered a 'low class' vampire. No matter how much power or how much control she had, the fact that a newborn would be putting Tanya in her place would hurt her ego for the rest of her life. It would be a constant reminder, and that is what Tanya needs.

"But you see, Tanya," Bella continued, her eyes on Tanya's lightly shifting feet, no doubt watching them for signs of a lunge. "Here in the Guard we like to train for real life situations, which simply means that in a training session, anything goes. Thousands of different situations can arise at any point in time and countless outside issues, talents, geographical differences, and environmental issues all make for very interesting and unique fights and tracking, and here in this room is where we prepare ourselves for those situations." Tanya shifted to the right suddenly, looking to only test Bella reflexes, and Bella moved the exact same distance in the opposite direction in the same instant. Tanya didn't look pleased with Bella's excellent footwork and reaction time as her lips pursed together unhappily. "Therefore," Bella continues without pause, "getting the jump on someone and doing the jumping, as that is a very logical ambush situation in real life, is perfectly fair."

I smiled at Bella's reasoning and squeezed Emmett's hand, trying without words to express how proud I was of our sister. He smiled widely and squeezed back, telling me he understood and felt the same. I vaguely registered the mumbled agreement of my sister's statement coming from those around me.

"But if you want to talk about unfair fights, Tanya, shouldn't you be talking about another aspect of our current situation?" Bella asked rhetorically as she answered her own question right away. "I mean seriously, how fair can a fight be when you're up against a newborn?" she giggled, as did many others including Jasper.

Edward and Carlisle were both sporting smug grins as they gazed at Bella, who still hadn't taken her eyes off of Tanya's feet. I beamed at Esme proudly and she smiled back happily, though I could see the small amount of stress her eyes held, and I didn't doubt for a second that she was worried about how Bella would fare when the real combat would break out between her daughter and her cousin. I tried to reassure her as best I could from my place halfway across the room, but as Carlisle's arm came to rest around her shoulders, I knew she would be fine.

I had barely turned back to the two tense figures, who for the past couple of moments had stood still as statues and stared each other down, suddenly and simultaneously launched themselves at each other and clashed together with a sickening crack. I flinched for a moment as the sound reached my ears before desperately trying to keep up with the quick, jerking movements that were Bella and Tanya as they fought, swiping and blocking each other's blows. Neither of them landing a hand on the other.

Things continued like this for a few tense moments until Tanya made a careless swipe at Bella's face, her hand slicing through the air as her fingers made a shape that resembled claws, but Bella managed to block it at the last second. Suddenly a smug grin spread across Bella's face and showed her sharp, white teeth as she twisted her hand around and grasped Tanya's wrist. Tanya pulled on her arm, trying to force Bella to lose her grip but to no avail. Bella's hand just clamped down with all her newborn strength before pulling Tanya forcefully toward her and abruptly letting go. Tanya's body went slack and ragdoll-like as her body was powerfully flung straight past Bella and into the nearby wall.

I held my breath in anticipation as Tanya pushed herself off the wall and turned around slowly, not even bothering to smooth out her shirt and dust off the steel shavings that rested there. She smiled demurely at Bella as she lethally crossed the room without hesitation and struck out with the flat of her hand, aiming for my sister's face once again. Bella dodged the obvious attack but as she ducked down she failed to see the direction Tanya's leg was taking and was unable to avoid the blow altogether. The blow landed on Bella's arm and side, sending her body falling to the ground with a dull thud. Bella pushed herself up on her arms in preparation to stand but Tanya was already moving and quickly forced my sister back to the ground with a swift kick.

The room stilled for a moment, and I anxiously examined Bella's body with my eyes, looking for any sign of injury or damage. I saw none thankfully but my worry didn't cease, for Bella still hadn't moved. I looked worriedly toward Carlisle but he seemed to be in a temporary shock. Next I turned to Edward and saw nothing but a panic that was clearly starting to take over his whole body, his fingers and legs twitching with the need to move, but he held himself back for which I was grateful, as going to her now would do nothing but harm.

Tanya slowly circled Bella's body, watching her closely for any sign of movement as many others and I were doing, but no movement came. Concern briefly washed over Tanya's tight features before she circled closer and removed the expression from her face. Bella still hadn't moved by the time Tanya had circled close enough to come within reaching distance and finally came to an uncertain and hesitant stop.

We all gazed at Bella in complete concern now as her eyes were still closed from the reaction of her swift beating and her body was still curled in on itself as if in pain. Tanya remained impassive as she looked at Bella's prone form for a few more uncertain moments before concern finally crossed her face once again and stayed there. She knelt down slowly and carefully at Bella's side and observed her for a quiet minute before turning, still kneeling, toward Edward who stood a few feet behind her.

"She's not…ah!"

I jumped slightly in shock as Bella's body became a brown and white blur as she pounced on Tanya's turned back and forced her face first into the floor, quickly securing her hands behind her back and laying all her weight on top of her back to keep Tanya down.

Emmett snickered beside me quietly as I stood stunned at the lightening fast movements and continued to watch as Tanya kicked and squirmed beneath Bella's entire body weight. Bella leaned more of her weight onto the small of Tanya's back, making her flinch as Bella's weight began to rest more heavily on Tanya's wrists, and leaned her face down to her opponent's ear, her hair creating a thick, silky veil around them.

"Face meet floor; get acquainted," Bella hissed quietly.

Tanya growled back but lay still beneath Bella, conceding her defeat quietly. Bella swiftly released Tanya's arms and jumped off her back putting a comfortable amount of space between them. I breathed a sigh of relief that it was over and watched as Tanya and her bruised ego got up off the floor and walked sullenly toward her sisters, her head held high despite her embarrassment.

"Well now that you've had your fun Isabella," Caius fumed from his side of the room, "can we get to the _real_ training?"

"Of course, Caius," Bella whispered demurely, as she glared at the wall above his head. She sighed, obviously still frustrated with the situation. Silently she turned her eyes to Jasper, who still stood smiling beside Edward. "How about that hand, Jasper?"

"Move faster Isabella!" Caius yelled. "They're closing in on you. Watch your back!"

Bella refused to listen to his advice and lunged for me instead of looking behind her where Benjamin was carefully looking for an opening and ready to strike. I dodged to the left; wise enough now to know not to go head to head with Bella like I had when I first joined the fight.

After Jasper, Bella, Jane and Felix had been training for a few minutes, where Bella had foiled her opponents swiftly planned attack, more people decided to join in the fun, unasked and overly excited. Of course Emmett was one of the first to join in by barreling head first into the fight, followed closely by Benjamin and myself. Felix and Jane had had enough and sat back to watch the fun as Bella beat our asses into the ground over and over again. She was faster than she looked and stronger than I had first expected which was why I was now sporting a few open scratches that were slowly knitting themselves back together. Emmett had managed to get his arms around Bella briefly and we thought he finally had her, but just as suddenly as he had gotten a hold of her, she was gone, reappearing seconds later at his feet and proceeding to kick them out from under him.

She hadn't laughed or smiled throughout the whole thing, just followed through her movements mindlessly, seeming to only follow her instincts. Caius was still trying to tell her what to do and how to go about getting us out of the way, but she seemed deaf to his instructions and he had just become annoying now.

"Enough!" Aro said firmly.

Bella stopped her movements and looked angrily back at him. She had been in a foul mood ever since Demetri left.

I straightened out of my crouch and looked around the room, only noticing now that only a few covens remained in the steel covered room and that the sun was considerably lower from what I could see of it shining through the window.

"Isabella you have been at this for hours; I think it's time you took a break and pick your training back up tomorrow, don't you sweetheart?" Aro continued as he approached her. She huffed impatiently watching as Caius stormed out of the room with little Jane scurrying after him, apparently taking Aro's suggestion as a cue to leave.

I ran my hands through my mussed hair and closed my eyes contentedly as Emmett wrapped his burly arms around my waist. I felt him raise a hand to my check and finger the deep scratch there lightly and reopened my eyes.

"It's fine; it doesn't hurt." I murmured waiting for him to nod before turning away and dragging us back to our family.

"If you want me to stop, give me something constructive to do, Aro," I heard Bella grumble as Aro reached her side. "I can't just sit around today and make idle chit chat with people I don't even know."

"Now Isabella-"

"Don't Isabella me!" She yelled.

I turned around and saw her pull away from Aro and storm across the room heading for the door.

"I'm sick of this and all these people!" She continued to rant, only stopping when Marcus caught her around the waist before she walked out the door. "I need to get out of here," She pled. "I feel trapped here; I feel like I'm suffocating. I need to run, to see something other than these walls. Please?"

Marcus's face softened at her confession, but as he reached up to cup her cheek in his hand, I knew that she wasn't going to get her way. "You know you can't Isabella, it's dangerous-"

She growled indignantly, quickly pushing his arms off of her and glaring at him. "You can't keep me locked up forever, just like you couldn't keep Demetri here."

Marcus' face crumpled for an instant but I felt no sympathy for him, nor did I feel sorry for Aro who just looked at the floor sadly. I balled my fists angrily as I began to realize just what Bella's words had implied. She had never left this castle; she had not seen the outside world as a vampire, and I suddenly doubted very much whether she had seen outside the city walls at all while she was human either.

Only last night I had thought Bella was happy and free; she certainly seemed to be at the time, but with every meeting and observation, I began to realize that she wasn't happy, not from what I had heard from Esme and Carlisle and not from what I had seen myself. Bella's mask was cracking rapidly and all the flaws of her current lifestyle and state of mind were becoming apparent. I felt nothing but anger toward the people who were keeping her here. Aro and Marcus were certainly the ones grounding her here and forbidding her from going out and seeing the world as I know she had longed to do as a human. But then I felt a sudden wave of anger toward my brother. If he hadn't left, she wouldn't be here. If he had just changed her or left her alone in the first place, he would have saved Bella from all the anguish she was now experiencing.

I saw Edward hang his head sadly from the corner of my eye at my thoughts, but I couldn't help it. It was what I felt, and he knew that. He knew he had done wrong and should have stayed, should have done something other than the course of action he took.

"I know, Rose," he whispered dejectedly. He lifted his head to look at me then. His eyes had filled with venom that would never spill and betrayed just how heartbroken he was by his actions.

_I know you did what you did to try and save her from all this, Edward, and I know that the best you could come up with was leaving, but I hope you realize that this wasn't your fault alone. _He frowned at me then, and I ran my hand over my forehead as the anger I had previously held against him was now turning on myself. _When you came home and told us that we were leaving, I didn't protest like the others. I was happy that we would be getting away from her and away from all the chaos she had brought into our lives but now… seeing her now, knowing partially what she has gone through over the years, all the hurt and pain and abandonment she felt… I shouldn't have done what I did and said what I did. I should have listened to Alice when she said that no matter what we did she would end up like us. I should have tried like the others to make you see reason and stay or take her with us despite how much I loathed her. I am as much to blame for this mess as you are and there is no way to fix what I have done but the least I can do is try to make it up to her. _

I smiled at him and quickly made my way out of the room, leaving my family to do as they wanted, and set off to find Bella.

I knocked gently on her door, knowing she was inside from the blaring music coming from inside. She ignored me but that didn't matter much as her door was unlocked and I let myself in.

"Get out," she growled.

"Ok, but only if you come with me." I smiled, leaning back against the door.

"Out, Rose!"

"No." I moved toward the chaise she was seated on, grabbed the control from the floor beside her, and turned off the music. "You're coming with me now, so come on, up you get." I motioned with my hands toward the balcony.

She frowned at me and then at the door. "What do you mean, I'm coming with you? I'm not supposed to go out during daylight hours; none of us are."

"As far as I can tell, Isabella, you aren't allowed to go out at all regardless of what hour it is." She glared at me for that backhanded comment, but I ignored it as I made myself comfortable next to her. "Look, you don't like me; I know that. In the past I might have come off as a bit of a…"

"Bitch?" Bella supplied.

"Yes, a bitch. I'll admit that much, but the fact is that you and I are a lot alike now, and I'm not talking about our shared species; I'm talking about the need to be free," I said gently. I looked into her eyes and smiled a little when I realized that I had finally got her attention and managed to get past the 'hate the Cullen's' barrier she had put up. "I hate feeling trapped and the suffocating feeling you get when everyone's attention has been on you for far too long. I remember that Carlisle, Esme and Edward never left me alone when I was a newborn, and that drove me right up the wall until I was screaming with frustration. But you know what? At least I was allowed out and was able to live my own life even with them trailing after me every second of the day. They all respected my need for space and tried to give me as much freedom as possible whilst being overly cautious for my own welfare, for which I am still grateful. You don't have that at the moment, and I want to help." I stood from the chaise and walked to the balcony doors, throwing them open carelessly and letting the warm Italian air gush in. "And sneaking you out is the only way I know how." I smiled over my shoulder at her.

She scanned my face for a moment, scrutinizing my every move as I made my way to the balcony edge and hopped onto the balustrade, looking down at the garden below. When I looked back at her she was still sitting on the chaise but now looking eagerly at me.

"You're serious, Rosalie? You're going to help me?" I nodded silently. "If we get caught, which we will, you're going to be in so much trouble."

"I know, but that's the exciting part." I giggled and was glad to hear and she joined in with me.

Bella jumped up off the chaise and ran into what I assumed was her closet and ran back out a moment later in pair of jeans and a hoodie, looking more like the old Bella than I had seen yet.

"Let's go." She whispered excitedly, turning the stereo back on as she walked past and making a running jump off the balcony and into the beautifully managed gardens below, I followed quickly after her. A few minutes later, after watching carefully for passers by and creepy around the periphery of the garden, Bella and I scaled the old stone wall that separated her prison from the wide open Italian country side and dropped to the other side. We froze, listening for any sign that we had been caught but after a moment I smiled at her, grabbed her hand and in a moment we were running free.


	14. Chapter 13: Broken Again

**Chapter 13: Broken Again**

**Bella POV**

Running. It had always been an exhilarating part of my new life, and yet I had never been able fully appreciate the speed and agility my new body was able to offer me. I had always been confined by the walls of the building I now lived in and as such had not been beyond the garden courtyard since my arrival here over two years ago. Aro and Marcus had always been scared for my well being out in the open, as a human they had feared for my safety from both supernatural and human dangers whilst as a vampire they were overly aware of my new desires for blood and didn't wish to push me too far.

As I flew through the trees, relishing in the feeling of my hair whipping around behind me into a tangled mess. I could hear Rosalie's graceful footsteps close behind as she tried to keep up, having to lengthen her stride in order to keep me in her sights. Having Rosalie for company on my first free run was not who I had thought I would be sharing this moment with. Previous fantasies of Marcus and Aro, even the old fantasies of Edward, flitted through my mind regretfully but I quickly pushed them aside. Rosalie was here, no matter what had happened between her family and I in the past she was here with me, helping me and giving me space.

She had understood more then I thought she ever would and we had more in common then I was willing to admit but I couldn't be angry with her now. Not for leaving me in Forks, not for her decision not to stop Edward from leaving me, I couldn't even be angry with her for not caring about me in all my human fragility. No, I couldn't blame her for any of that now; she had helped me after all. She had provided an outlet for me though it had been one I had though of many times before but had never acted on. The act itself was simple enough for me to complete and I could have done it easily myself but I had always wanted someone with me to appreciate the monumental event. That was what kept me from jumping all those times I stood at the base of the wall looking up.

"Wait up, Bitch!" Rosalie yelled from behind me, her voice laced with annoyance as I jumped and dodged my way through the thick leafy forest before me.

I laughed and cried out with joy in response before pushing myself faster and harder then ever before. The trees and shrubs were now nothing but green blurs and Rosalie's footsteps slowly faded before they disappeared altogether. And for the first time I finally felt a resemblance of freedom.

This freedom, this relief, this…joy was what I had been searching for, for years without success. I had tried many different things and flirted with many men, though up crazy schemes and wild jokes to play on others but nothing had ever given me this tiny ball of fire inside me, this small piece of joy that had the venom gathering in my eyes and liberated part of my soul.

I'm not sure how long I was running for, it could have been, minutes or hours, I just didn't know, before the forest ended abruptly and I stopped with it. Before me was a huge expanse of rolling green hills and wild sunflowers that reached for the azure sky above. My breath left my lungs as I slowly sank to the ground and rested my chin on my knees, my body hidden in the shadows of a towering tree, as I reveled in all that I was feeling and seeing.

This country was beautiful and I had always wanted to explore it, to see the Roman Coliseum and all that Italy had to offer. But I had been here, in Volteera, for almost two years and this was as much of Italy I had seen so far. That fact was disappointing to say the least.

I thought my life was full until a few days ago. I thought that everything was going well and that I would soon pass my newborn phase and Aro and Marcus would let me go to do what I wanted and to see whatever I wanted to see in this world whilst still being loyal to them and the coven. Now I was beginning to see that might not be the case at all.

Talking to the other vampires that attended Marcus' ball last night I had realized how much more freedom they received by living the way they do, away from the Volturi. Yes, they had to abide by the laws set down by Aro and his brothers but they weren't many rules at all and none of them as constricting as the rules you had to live by when you were a part of the coven.

Siobhan, Liam and Maggie had come here via a weeklong trip to Spain. Garrett had recently finished his first tour of Europe for this century, apparently he takes one every hundred years or so to see how things had changed. And Amun and Kebi recently returned to Egypt from Peru. All these wonderful, beautiful places and now I was thinking I would never get to see them for myself. Aro's hold on me was too protective and overbearing to let me go out and see the world. Marcus seemed to be much the same way, though he seemed to be needier somehow, like he needed me to keep living. He always wanted me around, wanted me close and by his side all the time. Sometimes I almost felt like he was trying to isolate me from the rest of the coven, like he thought they might be a danger to me. It was clear though that between the two of them my hope was rapidly fading for the vampire life I had once envisioned for myself.

A eave of great sadness flooded me; my eyes stung with venom and my forehead slumped onto my knees while my breath came in loud gasps and sobs.

Gentle footfalls made a slow and cautious approach behind me until Rosalie was kneeling behind me with one arm draped over my shoulder and her free hand running through the tangle of curls on my head.

"I'm never going to see it am I?" I cried dejectedly.

"See what Bella?"

"The world." I answered simply.

She was quiet for a moment but squeezed my shoulder comfortingly. "I suspect you will someday Bella, and when you do you'll love it, I promise."

"But how Rose?" I sobbed, finally lifting my head to look at her beautiful gold eyes that were now filled with compassion and regret. "How am I ever going to leave here when Aro and Marcus are so strict about my whereabouts? They wouldn't even let me do this," I gestured with my hand, referring to the open field before us. "We're less than 30 miles from Volteera and they will be furious with me when they find out. They're not going to let me go wondering about on the other side of the world by myself." I shook my head slowly and sadly, "This isn't what I wanted from this like, Rosalie."

"What were you expecting, Bella?" She asked, gently gathering my hair out of my face and laying it over one of my shoulders.

"I don't know. When I was human and you guys were still in Forks I was expecting to be with you all forever. To live happily and…and be with Edward for the rest of eternity. It was all I ever wanted back then, to be with him forever, but then you all left, he left. He didn't want me anymore and that changed everything." I sighed, my thoughts in a tumble of torment and confusion. What had I been expecting from this vampiric life with the Volturi? Love? Happiness? Freedom? I suppose but hadn't that been what I was expecting before too? I had been expecting love from Edward and the rest of the Cullen family. I had expected happiness and I had been expecting freedom because that was the way lived. I had expected that I would be just another link in the family chain. That was what I had been expecting from a vampiric life with the Cullens' but I can't honestly say what I had been expecting from the Volturi, from Marcus and Aro and all the others here in Italy.

"I don't know what I was expecting from this life after you left." I continued slowly, "I think that deep down I was hoping that when I was changed, one of two things would happen. That I would forget everything, forget you and Edward and the rest of my sorry life and just move on like nothing had ever happened. Or that I would remember everything and that I would forgive you all, understand why you left and why Edward said what he said. I think I hoped that once I was a vampire too, everything would change. That everything would be easier and clearer than they were before," I snorted, "Well things never go as planned do they? Especially not for me."

I moved away from Rosalie, pulling her arm off my shoulder and putting some space between us.

"I don't know what to say Bella-"

"Isabella." I corrected harshly.

She paused a moment before continuing again, this time in a more severe tone then before. "I don't know what to say to you, Isabella. I never approved of you or your choices back in Forks and that still hasn't changed. I think you were an idiot to choose this life for any reason let alone a boy. You gave up so many chances and opportunities that you could have taken advantage of. Opportunities that I never had: not once Royce raped me. Once he and his friends did what they did, my life was gone. Carlisle thought he was helping me, like he had helped Edward and Esme before me. He didn't know that I would have rather died there in that alley then be what I am today, never able to age, never able to eat real food, never able to stop killing…never to have children." I looked over at Rosalie in astonishment. I had never known what she had been through or what her change had entailed, I had always imagined and wondered but never had I thought it would have involved rape. Something that horrible and vicious simply didn't seem to be something that would have happened to the vivacious, beautiful, confident women that now sat next to me. "No-one ever gets what they expect out of life, Isabella. Whether human or vampire, life isn't fair and it certainly isn't predictable. But you have to learn to deal with this, to kill, to feed, to experience the hardships of this life and everything that comes with it. But you also have to fell the joy and happiness that comes with certain things as well, but you have to fight and fight hard for those few brief moments of happiness, Isabella. Fight for what you want," Her voice softened now as she stood and brushed the dirt and grass off her jeans. "If you want to see the world and be free to do as you wish, you'll have to fight for it because it's just as you said, they're not going to let you go wondering about the earth on your own. They're too protective of what is theirs to do that."

She turned and flitted off into the darkness of the forest without another word.

I peeked around the corner, looking for humans that would block my path but fortunately there weren't any straying into the alley. Thankfully they all seemed to have the sense to keep their celebrations in the fountain square and out of the shadows.

I slipped deftly into the alley and carefully removed the sewer cover before dropping myself down into the hole and pulling the cover back over. I had managed to slip back into Volteera unnoticed by any of the guards prowling the walls and scanning the city streets for intruders but I didn't actually think that I would be able to sneak into the citadel itself undetected. I foolishly hoped though, hence the dirty and rather disgusting walk through one of the underground entrances. At the end of the tunnel I would come to an iron gate that would lead me into the basement of the castle, one level above where the prisoners were kept and one below the main reception hall where Gianna and the other human workers stayed during daylight hours. Of course Gianna wouldn't be at her post now at this late hour but a vampire would be guarding that entrance and all other entrances into the castle levels above this one. This is where my hope of going unnoticed would fail.

I had sat thinking about everything Rosalie had said till well after the sun went down and had been expecting someone, a guard, to find me out there on the edge of the woods but no one ever came. I had briefly resolved not to come back to the castle at all, fantasies of running away and being free to see all the world had ran rampart through my mind until I realized that that was a ridiculous plan. It was running from everything, from all the trouble and problems facing me instead of standing and fighting for what I wanted like Rosalie had said. If I was going to truly be free to see this world I needed to come back to Volteera and make Aro and Marcus see how much I wanted it. I needed them to understand that I could take care of myself, that I was strong enough and that I was in no danger from anyone. I needed them to let me go of their own free wills.

With this thought in my mind and a low burning in my throat, I had run back to Volteera to face and fight for what I wanted. I just wasn't expecting a very friendly reception.

I slipped through the iron gate and into the basement hallway, walking slowly toward the central staircase that spiraled its way up through the entire castle. A low warning hiss and the shuffling footsteps of the guard I had been expecting met my ears as I turned the last corner. Corin was crouched before the staircase, the growling and hissing fading from his chest as I became visible. I threw him a small, embarrassed smile and walked forward slowly.

"You're in so much trouble." He chuckled lightly whilst shaking his head.

"I know," I said solemnly, "Did Rosalie Cullen come back?"

The cheeky grin he was sporting quickly disappeared. "Yeah, she came back a few hours ago…"

"What's wrong?"

"Aro went ballistic when he found out you had left, Isabella. He thought you were gone for good and when the Cullen women came back he lost it completely. He knew she had helped you get out, her scent was all over your room." He pursed his lips in disgust and shook his head. "I could hear her screaming from down here Isabella." He said quietly, hesitantly. "Aro let Jane at her. He wanted to know where you had gone but I guess he couldn't get anything from her, thought she was hiding it from him and… and started interrogating Edward." My breath caught. Images of Rosalie crumpled on the floor screaming with the pain Jane was inflicting were replaced with images of Edward in her place. I started desperately for the stairs, needing to get up there and make sure they were all right, that Aro had stopped.

A piercing, feminine scream came from above my head. I froze on the spot as the sound reverberated through me and tore me to pieces inside. I knew that voice, though I had never heard it scream before and I knew the sound of the loud roar that followed.

"Jane's been working on the little Cullen for about an hour now," Corin whispered behind me. "They've been torturing her mate and her in turns trying to force a vision of you out of the girl."

"Oh God." I mumbled as I bolted up the stairs to the second floor and made my way quickly down the halls and throwing the doors to throne room open.

"GET AWAY FROM THEM." I screamed at Jane who was standing, smiling viciously over Alice's little body.

Abruptly the screaming cut off and Jasper was released from the two guards who had been restraining him. He rushed to Alice's side and she cried and sobbed into his chest, shaking with shock.

I scanned the room for Rosalie and found her cradled on the floor in Emmett's arms. Emmett's eyes were black with anger as he looked back at me and I knew I would have to answer to him later for everything that had happened to his wife. Now was not the time for that however.

Edward, I saw was leaning against a wall with his hand on his head. Esme and Carlisle were standing beside him, relief filling their eyes as they looked at me.

"Isabella." My eyes, no doubt black with fury, snapped to Aro.

"Shut up old man, I don't want to hear your babble." I snarled, walking into the room toward Alice and Jasper who were still huddled on the ground together.

Jasper growled and barred his teeth at my approach but I didn't falter, kneeling next to him and placing my hand on Alice's head. He pulled her from my grasp and snapped his teeth at my face, I didn't flinch.

"I'm sorry. I never thought this was going to happen, I wouldn't have gone if I had known." I whispered regretfully.

Jasper ignored my words and stood, lifting his mate with him and walking towards his family. Foolishly I began to follow in small hesitant footsteps until I stood before Edward and Carlisle.

"Will you leave now?" I asked, hoping to god they saw the sense in saying yes.

"I won't." Edward said, dropping his hand from his head and looking straight in the eye. "My family can go, but I'm not leaving you here with these people."

Growls filled the room from all sides and my shield snapped up and over all the Cullen's and myself. Gifts hit the shield uselessly and bounced back to their respective owners.

"You have to leave Edward. You don't have a choice." I said harshly, "Just like I no longer have a choice about being here. You have to go and take the Denali's with you-"

"Tanya and her family have already left. They were thrown out before all this started." Carlisle informed me.

I nodded. "Then you have to get yourselves out, without me. My place is here now, they won't let me go without a fight." I glanced pointedly at Rosalie and Alice. "I realize that now. I'm sorry I came here, I'm sorry I ever entered your lives to begin with. And I'm sorry for what I'm about to put you through Edward," he frowned confusedly at me, "but it has to be done."

I leaped forward, reaching for Edward's head as I shrunk my shield, pushing his family out of the protective bubble. My hands framed Edward's face, my palms against his temples whilst his hands caught me around the waist and held me to him.

"Bella?" He asked, his breath washing over my face and I breathed him in greedily one last time before I focused my thoughts on what needed to be done.

It would be painful for both of us I realized, but it had to be done and I had to do it quickly.

I removed my mental shield from my mind, let the walls slip down so he could see, see everything inside of me and brought the memories forward. The memories of us; the meadow, our first kiss, meeting his family, him running through the forest with me on his back, laughing together and talking for hours on end. These were the memories; the moments that had made me fall in love with him. The happiest and worst times of my life, both human and vampire.

"Oh Bella." He sighed as he saw what I thought; saw the glowing happiness that surrounded each of these memories in my eyes, as was reflected in the color of my shield. It was pure white and glowing with such radiance that it hurt my own sensitive eyes to look at.

I flinched, both from the shield and the memory that came next.

"No," Edward whispered, "no, Bella don't think about that, please. Just think about how happy I made you, how happy we made each other. Think of how much we loved each other, please!"

"I can't not think about it Edward, it's a defining moment in my life. It means just as much to me as the moment I fell in love with you." I whispered back painfully.

He shook his head helplessly as the memory filled both our minds.

"_Okay, let's talk." I said bravely. _

_Edward took a deep breath, never breaking eye contact. _

"_Bella, we're leaving." _

"_Why now? Another year-"_

"_Bella, it's time. How much longer could we stay in Forks, after all? Carlisle can _

_barely pass for thirty, and he's claiming thirty-three now. We'd have to start over _

_soon regardless."_

_He stared coldly at me, his eyes blank of expression and emotion. My stomach rolled as I realized that something wasn't right. _

"_When you say we-" _

"_I mean my family and myself." He interrupted. _

_I shook my head back and forth, refusing to believe this. _

"_Okay, I'll come with you."_

"_You can't Bella. Where we're going…it's not the right place for you." He said haltingly. _

"_Where you are is the right place for me."_

"_I'm no good for you Bella." His face was grim now and his eyes were on the floor, refusing to look at me. _

"_Don't be ridiculous. You're the very best part of my life." _

"_My world is not for you."_

"_What happened with Jasper? That was nothing, Edward! Nothing!" I yelled. _

"_You're right. It's exactly what was to be expected."_

"_You promised! In Phoenix, you promised that you would stay-" I begged but he interrupted me again. _

"_As long as that was best for you." _

"_No! This is about my soul, isn't it?" I shouted furiously. "Carlisle told me about that, and I don't care, Edward! I don't care! You can have my soul. I don't want it without you-it's yours already!"_

_Edward took a deep breath, his eyes on the ground. Then he looked up at me and his eyes were once again hard as marble. _

"_Bella, I don't want you to come with me."_

_I paused and my breath stopped. _

"_You…don't…want me?" I stumbled out. _

"_No." _

Edward face was scrunched with pain but he held onto me tighter and didn't look away from my eyes. I wish I could stop this and forgive him, tell him that everything was ok, that I could go back to America with him and that we could work things out because deep down that's what I wanted. I still wanted the life I had envisioned with Edward when I was human. Things were so messed up now and everything so complicated that I knew I could never have that life. It was beyond me now and I had to set us both free. So I allowed the memories to pour out of me, one after the other in a painful tidal wave that started to drown us both in misery.

_Me, crying and stumbling through the forest after him… Me, falling to the floor all the light from my eyes gone as I curled into a ball unable to cry, speak or move. _

_The next image was of Sam Uley standing over me whilst I looked up at him through blank, uncomprehending eyes as he lifted me, taking me back to Charlie._

_My room was dark, so dark and quiet that it would have been sinister should I have felt enough to care. I swallowed thickly glancing at the glass of water Charlie had left me before he went to sleep. I ignored it, I was worthless. I didn't deserve water or any other type of sustenance; swallowing again I looked back toward my open window. My breath hitched as I saw three pale figures standing there, though their faces were in shadows I could see their silhouettes and for a moment my heart raced, my eyes lit up, I was happy. I was ready to get up and run to them crush myself into the arms of my family and never let them go as weak as I was. A hulking figure I knew to be Emmett stepped forward kneeling beside my bed, I shuffled under the bed sheets willing myself to sit up and throw myself at him. He reached out and I almost smiled but he didn't reach for me, he reach for my bedside lamp and all my happiness and life disappeared. I knew I should have been terrified out of my mind, screaming, crying, running, but I fell lifeless onto the bed as the numbness crept back into every part of my heart and brain. It wasn't Emmett. A vampire, yes. Emmett, no. And the light haired brunette standing behind him wasn't Esme and even the boy who was still perched on the windowsill wasn't Edward._

_They hadn't come back, but they were letting me die._

Edward's fingernails dug into the skin on my waist, tearing my shirt in the process as he continued to clutch me to him tightly. He was shaking and crying now as the images ran through our minds and his pain was worsening by the minute.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" He wailed.

"That's not enough Edward, and you haven't even seen the start of it yet." I choked out through my own pain and dragged up the next memory.

_Me, standing before the brothers, holding Marcus's hand as he lead me toward his brother, giving me strength and security when I needed it the most. _

_Marcus leading me into an extravagantly decorated bedroom complete with its own bathroom, walk in wardrobe and sitting room._

_Marcus holding me as a beautiful human I later came to know as Gianna, came in with a trolley full of food and drink. She gave me a weak smile and piled some raisin toast onto a plate pouring me a glass of apple juice before bringing it over to me, placing the plate on my lap and handing the glass to Marcus. She caressed my cheek lightly without a word before she turned on her heel and left. _

"_She will be back later to get your measurements and help you bathe but right now you need to eat." Marcus whispered as I stared down at my food. _

_I shook my head, I couldn't, and I didn't deserve it. If I ate now well… there was no point in eating, living without him. "I can't…" _

"_Yes, you can. I know what you're feeling; I've been there. You feel unworthy and dirty, like you're a waste of space and would be better off dead, but you're not." Marcus placed his cold fingers under my chin, forcing me to look up at him. He was so concerned and sad, I wished I could look away but as frail as he looked he was as strong as Edward and kept my face there. "I tried to starve myself for the same reasons. I didn't feed for years but then I realized that Didyme wouldn't have wanted this for me, she would have wanted me to live, to be strong and be as happy as I could. My wife is dead; she was murdered, taken from me, and for a long time I wished for the same fate. But people like Didyme and Edward…they wouldn't want us to perish, physically or otherwise."_

_I shook my head vigorously. "He told me. He told me he didn't want me, he wouldn't care; I could see it in his eyes. I died in his eyes that day, so why not be dead for real?"_

"_Okay, okay… but what about the other Cullens? What about Carlisle's other sons and daughters?" I shook my head again and mumbled something along the lines of 'left without a word' knowing he would hear me. Marcus was quiet for a moment, whether out of anger or helplessness I didn't know, nor did I care to look. _

"_What about Esme? You said she was like a mother, she didn't say goodbye either?" I sobbed uncontrollably now thinking of her and how she had always been so gentle and caring, taking extra precautions not to scare me with her more vampiric tendencies. _

_I was shaking so bad that when I tried to curl into a fetal position my forgotten plate of toast fell to the floor and shattered. I jumped at the sound and started to apologize, bending down to clean it up but Marcus stopped me and pulled me to his chest, letting me cry softly as the doors swung open allowing Aro and a little blonde vampire that looked like Alec to step into the room. Aro took one look at the mess on the floor and motioned for the little vampire to clean it up. She looked pissed but didn't say anything as she completed her task and left the room in seconds. _

_Aro swiftly crossed the room picked up a small ripe peach before sitting next to me and rubbing his hand along my back making me relax even more into the old vampires embrace. _

"_Come now, sweetheart. You should eat, even if it's only a few mouthfuls." Aro offered me the peach but I shied away as though it was diseased. "You haven't eaten in a while have you?"_

_I shook my head. "Last time I had a proper meal was before _he_ left, since then my father has been forcing soup and water down my throat."_

"_We could get Gianna to buy some soup if you prefer." I shook my head at Marcus's suggestion. It was nice but I had never liked soup in the first place. He squeezed my shoulders and pressed his lips to my hair. I noticed Aro was watching his brother curiously but I wasn't too interested in why, content just to revel in the cold comforting embrace Marcus was offering. "Please just eat something, not a lot just a few mouthfuls… for me."_

_I looked up into his face, just inches from mine and couldn't help but give in. He really seemed to care and was truly worried about my condition; I didn't want to add to his concerns by refusing any longer. _

_I nodded slowly and heard Aro chuckle in relief whilst Marcus's body seemed to slouch more into the leather cushioning. Aro silently offered me the peach once more, but I pushed it away gently. _

"_I don't like peaches." I mumbled shyly wondering if they would do something for being a bother. They didn't, just laughed, as Aro walked back to the trolley. _

"_Well, we have plenty of fruit to choose from, though it all smells horrible to me." He laughed bitterly again, bending down to inspect the fruit. "Let's see we have, bananas, pieces of freshly cut mango, apples, strawberries-"_

"_Yes!" I blurted then promptly blushed with embarrassment. "I mean, yes please, strawberries are my favorite."_

_He smiled at me and picked up the little dish full to the brim with juicy red strawberries and for the first time in months my mouth actually began to water. I reached for the bowl eagerly and fingered a strawberry for a minute before I slowly started to feed my starving body. _

The next memory I brought up was the day I took things into my own hands, the day I ended Bella's life and became Isabella, the day I became a vampire.

"_WHY THE HELL NOT MARCUS? I ALWAYS SAID THAT IF I WERE TURNED IT WOULD BE BEFORE I TURNED 20, I AM ALREADY 19, I CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER." I screamed at him from across the room, pulling and tugging at my long hair during another of our fights. "I WILL STAY IN MY TEENS FOR THE REST OF TIME, I WILL NOT TURN 20."_

"_You're not ready Isabe-"_

"_DON'T TELL ME I'M NOT READY. YOU KNOW NOTHING OF WHAT IS GOING THROUGH MY HEAD. I AM READY. I HAVE COME TO TERMS WITH EVERYTHING. I ACCEPT THAT HE'S GONE, THAT HE DOESN'T CARE, THAT HE WON'T BE COMING BACK. I ACCEPT THAT YOU ARE MY FAMILY NOW AND I LOVE BEING HERE. SO WHY WON'T YOU TURN ME? I AM READY TO BECOME WHAT I WAS BORN TO BE!" _

_He was in front of me in a second holding my arms gently but firmly and spoke clearly intending to leave no room for arguments._

"_I will not change you now. Yes, you are better, I know you are. You are alive again, there is light in your eyes that wasn't there before, you've put on a healthy amount of weight, you look happier, and I know you love it here, I can see that all too clearly, I know you love Aro and Demetri and Felix as well but I will not change you yet."_

"_WHY?" _

"_BECAUSE_ I_ AM NOT READY." _He exploded; his breath was ragged and coming in short bursts. When he spoke again his voice was barely above a whisper and I struggled to hear him._ "Because I am going to miss who you are at this very moment once I do bite you. I want to keep you like this, warm, soft, loving, as long as I can because I'm scared that when you awaken, I will lose you. Afraid that you will lose yourself whilst my venom ravishes your body."_

"_You won't, I'll still be me. Just less breakable and more independent but I will always be your Tesoro, can't you see that you won't – can't - lose me now?" _

_He shook his head and pulled me into his chest, his shoulders shaking from the force of his emotions. _

"_Please?" He whispered. "Please just let me keep you a little while longer?"_

_I screamed and pushed away from him, leaving him to collapse on the floor of the empty throne room without another word, making my way back to my room where I proceeded to smash the glass doors, stab myself and within 5 minutes of my argument with Marcus, his teeth pierced my skin and his venom ran through my veins. _

Edward screamed and freed one of his arms from my waist in order to grab the side of his head as if to force my memories out.

"BELLA STOP!" Alice screamed at me, I turned to see her on the floor clutching Jasper's shaking form to her tiny chest as he moaned and whimpered with the force mine and Edward's combined pain assaulting him. "Please stop Bella. Please, just stop."

"I'm sorry Alice but I have to do this, I have to set us- set _him_ free."

_I looked back at Marcus as he stood in front of me, sunlight glittering off his pale skin, with his hand stretched out toward me. I placed my hand in his and he promptly pulled me from my sitting spot, and led me across the room and placed another silk cushion closer to the balcony before he folded himself onto it and pulled me onto his lap. I smiled as he wrapped his arms around me, enveloping me in his scent as I cuddled closer, resting my head in the crook of his neck whilst one of my hands rested on his forearm, silently telling him not to let me go._

"_To Saint Marcus." Aro announced, as he silently offered Marcus the honor of giving the kill signal. _

"_To Saint Marcus." The guard, including myself, said in unison as Marcus stood and placed his hand on the small of my back pulling me to his side. He leaned down and brushed my hair behind my ear before he whispered loud enough for only the vampires to hear._

"_Eat."_

_Instantly I sprung forward and sunk my teeth into the jugular of the Greek man I had my eye on. As I felt his blood rush into my mouth and slide down my throat I was faintly aware of the others around me making their kills, the humans screaming and making futile attempts to run._

_As I dropped the now drained man I noticed some of the humans banging on the wooden door and quickly spotted my next kill. I was in front of her with my hand on her arm before she could even register my movements. She screamed but a papery white hand closed over her mouth cutting her off. I looked up to see Marcus standing next to me, smudges of blood staining his lips. I smiled at him before jerking my chin in the girl's direction. _

"_Share?" _

_His eyes widened a bit in shock. _

_He nodded and leaned towards the girls pulsing jugular as I buried a hand in her hair and pulled her head back for more exposure, my other hand rested alongside Marcus's on her torso, essentially pinning her to the wall. I saw him lick her skin before I too bent over the girls' throat on the opposite side. I heard her muffled scream as he bit her and smelled his venom staring to mix with her blood a moment before I too bit down and pierced the girl's skin._

_I turned back to Marcus and leaned up on my toes, kissing the corner of his mouth. _

"_Happy Saint Marcus day." I whispered just loud enough for him to hear as he reached up and replaced a stray hair that escaped my side clip. _

"_It is one of the best I have had in a long time, thanks to you, Tesoro." _

_We continued to stare at each other, both of us at a loss as to what to do and say, though I was faintly aware that the crowd around us had resumed dancing and gossiping about who knows what. Marcus squeezed my fingers before lightly threading them through my own and leaned down to me ever so slightly. _

_I gripped his shoulder tighter since my body was currently unable to move and stared into his eyes, looking for an answer to his behavior. There was something there, I could see that clearly in the way they seemed to smolder and shine, but I was unable to place it. It looked familiar but my brain wouldn't function. His scent was surrounding me, where our fingers were intertwined they tingled and burned all the way up my arm yet all I could concentrate on was how he was getting impossibly closer. _

That was it. All the pain and hurt, and the happiness and love I had felt since meeting Edward and Marcus and everyone else in my life exploded inside me. I screamed out in pain, and heard Edward scream too, as I struggled to keep conscious. Something in my brain snapped and I cried out again in pain, this time letting my grip on Edward go as I slipped to the floor and he collapsed with me.

We were both crying and sobbing at this point, both of us clutching our heads as hands grabbed at us and pulled us apart. Dozens and dozens of voices were speaking but I could discern nothing, it was a mindless babble amongst a river of pain.

I slowly opened my eyes and my vision focused on Marcus' face, hovering above me and obviously worried. He wasn't letting anyone else touch me, beating them away with open palms and yells of hysteria. I rolled my head lazily to the side, away from him and across the room. There, only a few feet from me was Edward, looking just as broken and helpless as I had been two years ago. Only now, when I looked at him, he was a stranger to me and I felt nothing for him. No strange pull in my middle to have his arms around me and mine around him, no compulsion to crush his lips to mine or be near him for the rest of our lives. There was nothing. Just me. Just Edward. We were separate entities now. We were no longer connected.

I had broken it.

Broken the bond that held us together.

Edward was no longer my mate.

And I was no longer his.

I was broken again. And so was he.


	15. Chapter 14: The Escape

**AUTHOR NOTE**

**Hey guys I know it's been forever since I last updated and I'm really sorry about that but as I'm sure most of you know Real Life can be a pain in the butt and having writers block with this particular story on top never helps when trying to produce high quality chapters. With that in mind this chapter is significantly shorter then previous chapters but that is only because this is what I class as a 'filler' and as I don't like having POV switches in the same chapter I decided to just post this short chapter as it is and make it upto you guys with a rather long Bella POV for the next chapter. **

**Please be warned that this chapter is UNEDITED as I sent it off to my new Beta's more then a week ago and she has yet to get back to me. I have edited to the best of my ability but I'm sure that I've missed something so please forgive me. I will be reposting this chapter when I have a copy of the edited version. **

**Hope you can get past the mistakes and won't prosecute me too much for such a short chapter **

**Happy reading! I hope :P **

**Eyes on fire chapter 14: The escape. **

**Edward POV**

The pain in my head was almost unbearable. The voices in my mind overwhelming. And the numbness of my emotions was familiar and unwelcome.

I stared at Bella as Esme, Alice and Carlisle fussed over me, asking pointless questions and checking my body over with quizzical eyes as the rest of my family stood guard over my prone form.

I knew I was supposed to feel something for this girl, something vast and overpowering, something that made my very being sing with joy when I was around her. She inspired songs and feelings unknown to me until the day I first laid eyes on her – I knew, _knew,_ that I was supposed to look at Bella and everything inside me would come alive, so why wasn't that happening?

Looking at her now, staring into the confused brown orbs that were once so familiar and dear to me I felt…hollow. Instead of seeing my mate, my love for all eternity, I saw a stranger.

I felt completely platonic and withdrawn from her, no longer was I feeling the pull to her, the immense curiosity to get to know her, to have her arms wrapped around me and mine around her that I knew in my heart I had felt many times before.

I continued to look into Bella's deep brown eyes, trying to force myself to feel something, anything, toward her. She stared back at me with intense shock and confusion in her eyes as Marcus pulled her into his arms and cradled her there, kissing her hair lovingly as he worried over her. I knew I was supposed to feel jealous and angry by his actions, I tried to feel them, to let the powerful emotions flood my chest with heat as they usually would but I failed once again.

Curiously, I turned my face upward as my eyes found Carlisle's own concerned golden one's. I felt the love and respect I held for my Father, could feel the same fondness overcome me as I looked at my Mother, sisters and brothers. Then I turned back to Bella, who was now being dragged to her feet, her weight being supported by Marcus' arm around her waist, and again I felt indifferent toward her and what I was seeing.

"Edward, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Carlisle," I answered warily. Physically and mentally I felt fine but in the back if my head I knew that I shouldn't feel like this. Recalling my memories of the past few days and years, thinking of leaving Bella in Forks, of seeing her here in Volteera, those things should be painful to remember I knew they had been in the past but not now. Now they were just events leading to today. She was just a girl I had spent time with, just someone I had talked to, someone I had kissed and romanced before I moved on. Why I had talked to her, kissed her, romanced her and, eventually, left her? I had no idea. Nor did I recall the emotions behind my actions I just knew that I did them. "What's happened?"

He gave me a curious look and exchanged a wary glance with Esme before he answered me in a hesitant voice. "Bella, son, she…she broke your connection. I don't know the particulars but you…you were holding each other, you were seeing her thoughts for the first time I think. You were whispering to each other before," he paused and took a deep breath, his mind full of pain as he recalled the images of myself and Bella crying and screaming in pain before falling to the floor. "Before you both started screaming, Edward. I don't know what she was showing you but I think your connection started to break and then you both started screaming."

I nodded slowly. "I remember, I remember everything. I just…I don't know why I feel like this…" I trailed off slowly as my eyes strayed back to Bella, who was now being carried toward the door, and that empty, hollow feeling once again over took me.

"Like what son?" Carlisle intruded on my thoughts, his hand under my chin as he turned my face away from Bella and back to him. "How do you feel? Ill? Dizzy? Nau-"

"Empty." I supplied, my voice low and pained. "I feel empty Carlisle, here," I pointed to my head, "and here." I said placing my hand over my silent heart, a heart that had been silent and frozen for more then a hundred years but had never felt so unusually dead before.

_Empty, _Carlisle's mind wondered loudly, his thoughts tainted with worry not only about me but also about Bella, though he tried gallantly to keep his concern hidden from me.

"You don't have to hide thoughts of her from me Carlisle," He looked sharply at me, the corners of his eyes now creasing with strain as he tried to figure everything out. "I feel…nothing for her anymore."

Shocked gasps and stifled cries emanated from the people around me, mostly my family but also some of the Volturi who still lingered.

"What do you mean Edward? How can you feel nothing for Bella? She's your mate!" Esme cried, grasping my hands between her own as she stared at me, her eyes brimming with venomous tears.

"But she's not my mate Esme, not anymore at least." I said automatically, the answer had come unbidden and I realized the truth of that statement.

She wasn't mine anymore, she truly had torn us apart.

Suddenly a scream tore through the air, long, loud and full of anguish. I frowned in annoyance as the scream ripped straight through my head. It was obvious that the scream had come from Bella by the amount of raised voices that were trying to calm her down, Marcus and Aro's voices clearly distinguishable amongst the babble.

"Jesus." Emmett murmured as the scream slowly trailed off into gut wrenching sobs and wails.

"Carlisle," Esme whispered, touching Carlisle's shoulder gently. "Perhaps you should go and see if you can do anything for her."

Carlisle looked at me uncertainly before slowly nodding his head and standing.

"Wait a minute!" Jasper spun to face us as Alice helped me to my unsteady feet. "She did this to herself, let her deal with it and lets get out of here."

"Jasper we can't do that to her-"

"Bullshit we can't Esme!" He yelled. "She did this to make us leave! She wants us gone and breaking the bond with Edward was the only way to make sure we'd leave. She knows that if Edward says it's ok to leave her here we'll all go. That's what she wants! So lets go!" He strode forward determinedly and grabbed Alice by the hand before striding out of the room without another word.

"He's right Mum." Emmett said slowly, trying to make Esme, who was a little more then hysterical, see the truth of the situation. "You won't be abandoning her, she wants you to leave. She wants us all to leave so we can be safe, that's why she's done this. Not to hurt Edward, not to hurt you or the rest of us but to protect us so I think its best if we leave now while we still have the chance."

She shook her head helplessly as her eyes pleaded with me, begging me to say that we can't leave without Bella. Ten minutes ago I had been adamant that we wouldn't leave her here, that I wouldn't leave her here with the Volturi. Now I found myself thinking Why? Why should we stay here and risk our necks for her? Why were we trying to protect her and make her come home with us in the first place?

I shook my head at Esme. "We have to leave. Emmett and Jasper are right, we have to get out while we have the chance, I'm sure Bella can handle herself Mum."

She drew her hands up and covered her mouth as she closed her eyes and sobbed. Carlisle turned her into his chest and held her tightly as he too started to sob. He knew we were right, Aro and Marcus wouldn't wait long until they decided that it was our fault and do something about it so we needed to leave now.

With that thought in mind he straightened, forced his features to become calm and neutral before pulling Esme out of the room, motioning for Emmett, Rosalie and myself to follow closely.

We rushed toward the lobby, all silently agreeing to leave our bags and belongings behind, we had our phones and enough cash in our pockets to get flights back to Washington, everything else could be replaced if needed. Gianna's desk was once again abandoned and Jasper and Alice were waiting by the elevator, holding the doors open for us, with a small bag clutched in Alice's hand and a overstuffed backpack thrown across Jasper's shoulders.

"We just grabbed the essentials and left the suite before Alec and Corin started looking for us all." Jasper said, jabbing the ground floor button repeatedly as we all huddled inside.

"We don't have much time." Alice murmured, her eyes glazed over and blank.

The doors closed and we started to descend just as Alec and Corin's thoughts came screaming through my head.

_Fuck! They're gone._

_The stairs, take the stairs. _

"They're taking the stairs." I whispered still listening as they leaped four steps at a time as they tried to catch up. "They''ll catch us, we're going too slow."

"Emmett, force the doors open faster once we stop," Emmett nodded to Alice and switched places with Carlisle, stretching his arms and positioning his hands in preparation to pull the automatic doors open. "Then everybody will have to run. Split up as soon as you get to the fork in the road." She continued speaking quickly as she dug into her bag and handed out our cell phones, having retrieved them from our rooms earlier. "Esme go with Carlisle, Edward go with Rose and Emmett. We'll meet at the airport in Rome in 8 hours we should have lost the hunting party by then."

"They're sending people after us?" Rose asked, moving across the small cart to stand close behind Emmett, her hand fisted in his shirt nervously.

"Of course they are." Jasper scoffed beside me. "Did you really think that with Bella in pain Marcus wouldn't want Edward's head on a platter?"

"She's in pain?" Esme whimpered, still clutching herself to Carlisle as he rubbed her back soothingly.

"No, she's…" Jasper cast a cursory glance at me from the corner of his eye. "She's like Edward. Numb, but still feeling a gap where Edward used to be, so of course to Marcus that means she's in pain."

"Naturally." Emmett scoffed bitterly.

"Five, four, three, two…NOW Emmett!"

Emmett dug his fingers into the steel doors, bending and shredding the metal as he grappled and pulled them apart forcefully. The doors shuddered and shrieked against his efforts for a moment before finally buckling and springing back into the walls. Collectively we all lunged out of the elevator and ran for the entry doors just as Alec and Corin burst through the stairwell door, embedding the handle into the wall as they went.

"Stop!" Alec yelled as Emmett and Rosalie burst straight through the glass doors and out into the night air with the rest of us close behind.

The broken and shattered shards of glass didn't deter Alec and Corin as they continued to follow through the narrow Italian streets until the fork in the middle of the road came into view before us.

Immediately Carlisle reached for Esme, pulling her to the left at the same time Alice and Jasper jump for the roof of the building straight in front of us, leaving Emmet, Rose and I to veer right.

Our pursuers didn't hesitate in taking the right turn with us, pushing themselves faster to try and catch up as I flew up the cobblestones, past Emmett and Rosalie and heading straight for the wall surrounding the city.

"Emmett! The wall, go for the wall, no one's patrolling!" I yelled over my shoulder, hearing Alec's footsteps slowly closing the distance between us.

I made it to the wall first, after having to make a sharp left turn down an alley that lead straight to the base. I launched myself off the ground, landed silently on one of the torrents, and turned back to watch Emmett and Rose come barreling down the street, Alec only a few steps behind them and Corin nowhere in sight.

Emmett dropped Rose's hand, both preparing to jump up to me just as Alec lunged-

"Rose!" I screamed in alarm, watching helplessly as Alec wrapped his arms around her waist, sending them flying through the air.

Emmett skidded to a stop, roaring his fury as Alec embedded his teeth into Rose's neck. She screamed in pain, fighting uselessly as Alec released his gift slowly took over her body, paralyzing her.

I jumped from the wall as Emmett fell on top of Alec, growling and clawing as he removed him from Rose's back, pushing him away and into another incoming Volturi guard.

_Great! Reinforcements! _Emmett's mind grumbled.

"Rose! Rose get up!" I cried, grabbing her arms and pulling her to her feet only for her to stumble back into me, disorientated from being under Alec's influence.

"Edward, take Rose and GO!" Emmett roared, slashing and growling as three more guards sprung from the shadows and started backing us into a corner.

I didn't question him and quickly gathered my sister into my arms and jumping the wall without another thought. Emmett knew that if he didn't keep them back we'd all be caught and tortured and he couldn't let Rose go through that again. Saving her was the only thing he thought about as the guards fell on him, too many for him to take care of on his own. I hesitated a moment as turning back to help him flashed through my mind.

_Don't try to help me! Don't let her come back for me. _Emmett's mind yelled at me as he finally gave up fighting, allowing the Guards to take him to the ground. _Just keep running!_

And that's what I did. I ran from the city and through the countryside as Rosalie struggled and cried against my ironclad grip, begging me to let her go so that she could save her husband. I ignored her the best I could and just kept running, just like Emmett told me too.

I didn't even think twice about the girl I once called my forever.

**AUTHOR NOTE**

**Hope you liked this little 'filler' and ill have the next chapter out as soon as possible. For those of you who are still interested in reading my story despite my unpredictable updating I would like to say THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STICKING WITH ME and I hope you know that you guys are the reason that I push through all my personal issues and stirve to finish this story. **

**Again for those of you who are interested in my writing I would advise you to put me on author alert as I may be posting a new story/stories as soon as I get a few chapters ahead and have it Beta'd. Thanks again for reading and please review…they make me smile when I have nothing to smile about. **


	16. Chapter 15: Shattered REWRITE

**AUTHOR NOTE: Hi everyone, now I know most of you are probably confused as hell since this chapter is number 15 and the last update as been deleted. Well that because I was having a major creative burst and was reading over all my past chapters from different stories to get reacquainted cause I hadn't written in a while and found my last chapter was absolute CRAP and decided to rewrite it. I kept some of the dialogue from the update before but have doubled it in length and turned Bella back into a bit of a badass which I noticed had been dwindling over the past few chapters and was starting to resemble more of my current depressive mood then how she, and I, started this story off, which lets face it was a hell of a lot better back then haha. Anyway I hope you all like the new update and give me a lot more reviews then I got for my poor attempt last time lol. **

**Jess**

**Chapter Fifteen: Shattered REWRITE**

**Bella POV**

_Why can't they just leave me alone?_

It'd been days since I broke my bond with Edward. Days since Emmett had been dragged, bashed and bitten, back into the fortress and locked up in the dungeons. It had been days since Marcus and his guards had left my room and it was driving me insane. All they did was watch and wait. Wait for me to explode, to lash out and strike someone or something. And all the while I sat there on my bed and glared. Glared at them all for being there, glared at them for dragging me here into this room…glared at them for refusing me to let me sink into my comfortable, catatonic bubble that I longed for so much.

I realized now that I should have fought that night Felix and the others came into my room, how when I arrived in Volteera I should have begged for my death.

I never should have let Marcus fool me into loving him.

Because now I realized the truth. I didn't love him. And he certainly didn't love me. Not after what he did.

Slowly I dragged my fingers from my lap, up over my arm and shoulder to finger the bite mark he had given me. He flinched slightly as he watched me finger the dried venom and the raised skin he had left behind.

I hated him for it.

I hated how he had dragged me from the throne room, away from the Cullen's, out of concern for my wellbeing. But concern slowly turned to anger and possessiveness as he led me up the hall and realized what was happening.

He could see what all others couldn't.

He could see the line between Edward and I break, but he also saw the reconnection I felt to the rest of Edward's family. Desperately he had tried to talk to me convince me that I had done the right thing and to resist what was happening. Instead I struggled weakly, wriggling in his grip as I tried to turn and go back; back to where I now knew I belonged. His guards helped him contain me but as my struggling got more powerful and violent he lashed out at me and sunk his teeth into me neck. I can remember the scream that came from my own throat and the yells of others as he injected venom into my veins until they finally pulled him off me, where I was then thrown onto my bed and had been sitting ever since.

And he had been sitting across from me the entire time.

The guards had been changing shifting every 6 hours or so and Felix and Chelsea had taken the latest shift. They had been lying around on my couch together chatting and reading magazines for the past 3 hours. Although Chelsea looked perfectly relaxed I could feel her gift pushing against my shield as she tried to repair the damage that had been done between her master and myself. She failed of course but it gave me some source of amusement to watch her try for hours on end.

"You really should stop Chelsea," They all jumped at the sound of my voice, eyes fastening to my shield-incased image. "You'll wear yourself out otherwise."

"I've got orders."

"Of course you do." I replied feeling my shield lurch with anger as she pushed harder. I briefly gave thought to throwing my shield at my old friend, but one look at Felix's tense and ready form told me exactly what his orders were so I settled my gaze silently back on Marcus.

"You'll have to move sooner or later, Tesoro." I narrowed my eyes at the sign of affection before I smiled back pleasantly.

"Then it's a good thing we've got forever."

Felix groaned at my statement and stood, throwing his magazine onto the table before him. "I'm sick of this, someone else can take over now."

"I agree." Chelsea chimed in. "I'm not going to get through her shield Marcus, we all know that and I need a feed. Badly."

Marcus reluctantly broke his gaze from me for the first time in days and turned towards the two complaining guards. "No. You will sta-"

I tuned out their bickering and turned my thoughts inward. Despite my best efforts over the past year and a half to get over Edward and all we had been together the pain of loosing him a second time had hit me like a ten-ton truck, even though this time it was of my own making. Some distant and hidden part of my heart stilled loved him and shattered all over again when I had forced our bonds to break. And now as a consequence I could feel all that I couldn't before. I could feel my love for him, feeling how much I missed him and feel how much this hurt me…again. But that wasn't the only thing that hurt.

Absently, my hand once again lifted from my lap to finger the jagged teeth marks on my once marble smooth skin.

"I'm sorry." His voice snapped me back from reality as my eyes shot around the room to find Felix and Chelsea begrudgingly seated back on the couch together and Marcus standing at the end of the bed.

I nodded, still running my fingertips over the teeth imprints and thinking how I could have ever let him sink his teeth into me.

"I could see you slipping…I had to do something."

"I know."

There was a small, almost awkward pause as we looked at each other, tried to read each other's faces and the emotions they held. I wasn't nearly as good at it now as I had been last week.

"I'm sor-"

"I know!" I snapped bitterly. "I know you didn't want to hurt me, I know you didn't want me to go back to the way I was before but I wanted to and you overlooked that. I still loved him Marcus, and this whole thing, me breaking it off this time, it's so much worse then before and you just won't let me deal with this on my own. I need to deal with this in my own way."

"What do you want me to do Isabella? Leave you here on your own to wallow?" He snorted angrily.

"Yes, that's exactly what I want you to do." I answered I hissed. "I want to be alone and wallow. I want to replay all that's happened since I met Edward, since he left me and try to move past it. I thought I had moved on before, moved on with you Marcus," I looked at him, into his eyes and knew that what I was about to say would hurt him but I didn't care, he deserved it. "I hadn't. I still love Edward. I was running from him Marcus, and you were my rebound, my lifeline. I don't want you to be that anymore. I think I have to come to terms with what has happened to me and what I have done in turn to him before I can truly move on and attempt to love you the way I know you love me."

He stared at me for a moment; eyes wide and slightly stunned, confusion and hurt swirled within the red depths of his eyes. He said nothing as he bowed to me and fled the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

I was both happy and sad to see him go. Happy because he was gone and wouldn't be returning any time soon but sad because he had been my friend and companion, I thought I had known all there was to know about Marcus after the years we spent talking in private, it turns out that I barely knew him at all. I turned to stare out the balcony windows, schooling my face into a cool and indifferent expression, mindful that Felix and Chelsea were still here with me.

"That was harsh Isabella." Felix murmured, fidgeting uneasily with his fingers.

"Yeah totally uncalled for," Chelsea agreed. We were all silent for a moment then she stood and took a few steps toward the bed. "Do you know what you've just done? To him? To your bond?"

I ignored her, intent on the swaying, flourishing trees outside my window and the lush forest beyond the city as my run through them with Rosalie replayed in my mind. Unaware that the happy memories were dissolving my shield.

"Do you even care?" She whispered.

I continued to stare.

"Izzy?"

_Leave me alone, _I thought.

"Isabella?"

_Please, just leave._

"Come on Isabella, I know your not this heartless," Felix slowly approached me, wary in his movements and keeping his voice low and calming. "I know you care about him-"

He reached out for me, touched my arm and I was done.

I snarled and snapped my teeth at him as I launched myself off the bed and pinned him to the floor. Not a moment later and Chelsea was on top of me, trying to pull me off as she yelled for help.

Felix struggled against me, bucking his hips and straining his arms for freedom but I held tight and slammed his head into the floor, making the tiles beneath crack and splinter.

"You know nothing about me." I hissed forebodingly as arms and hands engulfed me and lifted into the air.

I thrashed about violently, kicking, scratching and biting anything and anyone who got in my way but there were too many guards and not enough of me and they soon had me pinned eagle on the floor where I looked up to see Aro standing over me.

"Isabella, I know this is hard for you but," He knelt at my head and stroked my hair soothingly back from my face, ignoring my efforts to avoid his touch. "It was necessary, you know that and that is why you did it."

I knew what he was saying was true, that it was necessary to break with Edward but that didn't mean that it was right. And it wasn't. It didn't feel right, in fact it felt entirely wrong just like when he left me, only worse.

I stopped thrashing.

"I need to be alone."

"Isa-"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I snarled as I arched up toward his face.

He lurched back ever so slightly before leaning back toward me and replacing his hand on my hair, petting me like you would a dog. "You can't be trust on your own, not after this episode. If you want privacy so much the only place I can put you were I know you'll be safe is the prison cells below the castle. And you don't want to go there do you?"

The great steel door slammed shut behind me, a moment later I heard the three heaving bolts lock into place and I was finally alone. I sank, almost gratefully into the small ledge that served as a sort of bed, and screamed.

My screams shook the walls and rattled the doors, disturbing the other occupants who were locked down here with me. They hissed and cursed at me, told me to shut up and said things that I couldn't understand, but I didn't stopped. I couldn't stop screaming and crying, thinking over everything that had happened in my short lifetime and I hated all of it. There was nothing in my life that was good and admirable, there was no love and friendship significant enough to stand out only lose and sadness forming in my minds eye as my body expressed what I had kept hidden down in the depths of my heart.

"Bella, Bella please stop."

_I can't. _

"Come on Bells, I know you can."

_No, really I can't._

"Sure you can, Bells. You're my little sis, you can do anything you want."

_But it hurts._

"I know, but your stronger then anyone I know Bells. You can stop, you just have to want too."

Suddenly another voice joined the first.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, she almost ripped my jugular off a few days ago." He sounded worried.

"She won't hurt me." How can he be so sure? I hurt everyone I come into contact with.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I'm her big brother." He made it sound simple; like that one small phrase answered every question anyone could ever have.

_Because I'm her big brother._

_Emmett?_

Slowly my screams and sobs started to quiet and I sensed the apprehensive air between myself and the other two occupants of my cell.

Suddenly a hand touched mine. I jumped and yelled in fright but the voice soothed me and slowly took me in his arms, set me on his lap and rocked me back and forth until I had nothing left and finally fell silent.

"Wow." The second voice, which I now realized as belonging to Felix, whispered.

"Told you she wouldn't hurt me."

"Yeah yeah I know, 'cause you're her-"

"Big brother." I finished for Felix and slowly lifted my head to stare into Emmett black eyes.

He smiled tenderly and tugged lightly on my hair. "Hey there little sis."

I couldn't bring myself to smile back. I was happy to see him, glad that he didn't have any limbs or chunks of flesh missing from his bulky frame after the guards had captured him. I knew better then anyone just what Alec and the others were capable of and imagining those things happening to my happy go-lucky brother made my stomach twist and turn in disgust.

But I couldn't understand what he was doing here in this cell with me. It was dangerous for him to be in here not because I would hurt him but if Aro or, god forbid, Caius ever found out he was in here there would be hell to pay not only for Emmett but also for whoever let him in.

I slowly extricated my self from Emmett's lap and stood before him, his hand in mine as I turned toward the cell door to face Felix.

"Did you let him in here?" I asked, my voice low and obviously angry.

He nodded silently in return.

"Why? Why would you do that? You know both you and him would get the punishment of the decade for coming in here. Not to mention that you must have let Emmett out of his own cell before moving him here. Are you that crazy?" I hissed as Emmett's hand squeezed my own.

"You wouldn't stop screaming Izzy, I didn't know what else to do. Aro and Caius has forbidden anyone to talk to you or open this door but you were distraught…I had to do something." He finished lamely as he stared at the space above my head.

Looking back at Emmett, who's eyes were filled with worry and concern, I couldn't be mad a Felix for wanting to help me but I was still a little pissed that he put both himself and Emmett in harms way to do so.

"Thank you." I said lowly, my eyes flickering back to his briefly before I pulled Emmett up for the bench and focused on him, more specifically how he was going to get out of here and back to my sister.

"Listen to me very carefully Emmett," I said placing both my hands on either side of his face as my eyes ran over every inch, memorizing every plane and angle of his face so as not to forget any tiny detail. This may be that last time I ever see him. "Out this door go right past the stairwell that leads up and go all the way to the end of the corridor. There is another small door in the wall that is concealed, open it and go up the short stairwell and along that corridor until you get to the third grate in the roof-"

"What are you talking about Bell's?" He exclaimed.

"I'm getting you out of here."

He snorted. "Obviously but why are you telling me this? Can't we just play follow the leader and you…you know lead me to the exit?"

I had already started shaking my head at him in dismay. "I'm not coming with you Emmett. Shhhh…" I hushed as he began to protest and place my hand over his mouth. "You and Felix are going to get out of here before anybody finds out that you were both in here and go find Rosalie and the others…you're going to go back to the U.S. and leave me here, Emmett."

"Don't be stupid Bella, I'm not leaving you here with these people." He yelled, pushing my hands from his face and shaking me by the shoulders. "You're coming with me even if I have to carry you!"

"No I'm not Emmett. They'll come after me if I leave and that puts you and the other's in harms way." I said gently as I bared the immense pressure he was putting on my shoulders as he squeezed anxiously. "Do you really want to put Rosalie in harms way? What about Alice and Esme? Could you watch them get torn to pieces because I came with you tonight? I couldn't stand if that happened to anyone of you because of me…so I'm staying here and your going to take everyone back to the U.S. and forget about me Emmett. You can't come back to Italy, not for me, not for anything ever again, you understand?"

"No! I can't leave you here Bella, Edward would kill me!"

I smiled sadly, my eyes flooding with venom. "No he won't Emmett. Because of what I've done he doesn't care anymore I made sure of that."

He frowned at me as he dropped his hands to his sides. "But you still love him right?"

"I tried not to Emmett, I really did and I had fooled myself into thinking that I was over him that I was in love with Marcus but I'm not and I realized that too late. I still love your brother despite what he said to me, I always have and I probably always will. But we can't be together now Emmett, I've screwed everything up. He's better off without me now."

"No Bella he's not, none of us are. Everyone misses you and they'll never forgive me if I leave you here locked in a cell with these bastards."

I smiled at him, knowing that even though he didn't understand what this all meant now he would eventually and he'd be thankful for it too. I stepped forward and hugged him tightly, my arms around his waist as his closed in over my shoulders and his head resting against my head.

"I know they'll be mad Emmett, especially Esme, but you don't have a choice. I'm sorry."

He made a small sound of confusion at my statement but I gave neither him nor Felix any time to register my words as I twisted and threw Emmett off his feet and through the doorway. He smashed into Felix who let out a groan of pain from the impact and a yell of surprise when they both smashed into the opposite wall before falling to the floor. Quickly I dashed forward and pulled the keys from the lock, slammed my cell door closed and pressed it firmly closed as the locks clicked into place.

A second after the last lock clicked over there was a giant thud against the door, causing it to vibrate and force me a step back. The door showed no damage on my side nor had the locks or door hinges moved an inch but that didn't stop Felix and Emmett from pounding against it relentlessly.

"Please stop," I pleaded through the door. "If someone comes down here your both in trouble. Please! Both of you just go and make sure everyone gets to safety."

The thudding stopped and silence followed my plea. After a minute I had assumed they left until Emmett's voice, quiet and defeated flowed through the door.

"I love you Bella. We will get you out of here someday, I promise."

"I swear you'll see more then the walls of this castle one day Izzy."

I was so chocked up with unshed tears and grief that I couldn't say anything in reply until much later, when they were already gone and hopefully far from this wrenched city.

"I love you both but we all know I'm not getting out of here in one piece."


End file.
